You may be familiar with Maurice Sendak’s books like Where the Wild Things Are or Outside Over There, but do you remember reading In the Night Kitchen? Just over 10 years after the prolific author's passing, we are returning to his 1970s dreamscape of a picture book. In the Night Kitchen offers a dazzling portrait of creativity and the expansive imaginations of children contending with an adult world.

In this episode, besides stirring about in the needless controversy that often surrounds Maurice Sendak’s classic, In the Night Kitchen, we talk with two picture book authors influenced by the master author and illustrator’s work. Author and Illustrator, Sergio Ruzzier describes the influence Sendak had on his career and books, including Fish and Sun and Fish and Wave. And Author and Illustrator, Antionette Portis, reflects on the revelatory impact of Sendak’s books on children’s literature, the human experience, and her own books, Not A Box, Not a Stick, and A Penguin’s Story.

To learn more about Maurice Sendak, Sergio Ruzzier, or Antionette Portis’ books, visit harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/maurice-sendak

harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/sergio-ruzzier

harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/antionette-portis

Do you have a story about how a classic book changed your life? Tweet @readingpod or email us at [email protected]. Learn more at rememberreading.com. And, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.

[1:01] Sergio and Antionette identify the fragments of American culture floating through Sendak’s In the Night Kitchen.

[4:38] Still a point of contention, when In the Kitchen was released controversy erupted in the U.S. due to the main character, Mickey’s nudity.

[7:34] Sergio’s fourth-grade drawing of a monster had a similar censorship issue when it was included in a Jon Scieszka compilation.

[8:21] Antionette reminds us that Sendak felt insulted when people referred to his work as kiddie books.

[8:59] Like most adults and children, Sergio deeply felt the emotional complexities of Sendak’s words and pictures. As a visual storyteller, he was later invited to join the Sendak Fellowship.

[12:18] Antionette was also invited to be a part of the Sendak Fellowship’s inaugural class in 2010. She describes the experience.

[12:57] Antionette’s books, Not a Box and Not a Stick are a celebration of the imaginative lives of children.

[17:23] Sergio’s Fish and Sun, Fish and Wave, and his third book in the series, Fish and Worm, were inspired by the narrative art of his heroes and reflect his desire to have children think for themselves.

[22:43] Sergio was asked to lend his visually-mesmerizing illustrative abilities to Roar Like a Dandelion by the late Ruth Krauss.

[25:05] Edna, the main character in Antionette’s A Penguin’s Story, is on a spiritual search to find meaning in the universe, metaphorically.

[27:27] Antionette examines In the Night Kitchen looking to uncover hidden meanings baked into its dreamy joy.

Continue Your Journey:

Maurice Sendak

Sergio Ruzzier

Antionette Portis

HarperCollins

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Shareables:

“I didn't set out to cause a scandal. I set out to do a very particular work where he had to be naked in order to confront a particular dream he was in. You don’t go into a dream wearing Fruit of the Loom underwear or PJs.” — Maurice Sendak, author of In the Night Kitchen

“You are calling for attention if you underline the thing you want to hide. It’s not going to work. It’s actually funny.” — Sergio Ruzzier, author of Fish and Sun

“He [Sendak] really felt insulted that people called his books kiddie books. ‘Cause he’s like, I make books for humans, and if children like them that's great.” — Antionette Portis, author of Not a Box