The big cover-up

Maurice Sendak has always been one of my favorite illustrators. I remember spending what seemed like hours studying the intricate details of his drawings in the Little Bear books. As a new father I was excited when Sendak came out with In the Night Kitchen in the early 1980's. Much to my delight, the book became the focus of controversy. The controversy did not center on the very obvious references to the holocaust scattered throughout the book. No, the controversy was over the fact that the hero of the story, a little boy named Mickey, falls out of his pajamas and exposes his private parts. Many blushing librarians across the country solved the problem by fashioning little diapers for the exhibitionist Mickey. Silly librarians!