Sendak, M.(1970).In the Night Kitchen. U.S.A.: Harper & Row Publishing.
This book has endured its fair share of controversy since its initial publication. This is due to Christian outrage over Mickey's accurately drawn nudity and agnostic outrage over the religious parallel between Mickey, Christ, and the resurrection. Regardless, this book is a fun and fanciful tale with illustrations that I still evoke fond childhood memories (the dough outfit and plane that Mickey dons and flies still produce feelings of comfort and ease in me when I see them). I wonder how young kids, especially girls, would react to the nudity, but kids tend to be surprisingly open minded, provided they have a grounded upbringing. There is so much else to look at in the illustrations that Mickey's little penis should not prove to be the sole focus of a reader’s attention...and if it is, so what? Are we going to lie to our children and make them think they are the only ones with genitals? If you have a child who has enjoyed Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are this will be a good follow up read.
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