I found this book on a controversial book list and recognized the author as the same author who wrote Where the Wild Things Are. I was intrigued so I picked this book out. About two pages into the book I could clearly understand why this book made it on controversial book lists. In the book a little boy, Mickey, is having a dream and in this dream he loses his pajamas. Since Mickey loses his pajamas he is naked and his male genitalia is visible in the illustrations. The illustrations are, in my opinion, questionable and based on that I would not be comfortable reading this book to the class or even having it in my classroom. I feel like having this book around would bring about concern and questions from parents who don't want their children seeing male genitalia in picture books. Besides the illustrations this is a really fun book about Mickey's dream, he ends up in a kitchen where he is incorporated into the food. Parents might love the story and feel comfortable reading this to their children at home and that is great, but I think this story has no place in an elementary classroom.
I completely agree with you by the description of the book you gave. I think that books that teach about the human body are one thing, but to have a book with a boy running around naked and it being illustrated in the pictures for no specific reason is another thing. The story sounds good. Maybe the text of this book could be used for a visualizing lesson. The teacher could print out the text and the students could listen and draw images they envision!
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