Book Title: Goodnight Moon
Author: Margaret Wise Brown
Recommend: Highly
R A N T
Not all rants are created equal. Today I am going to rant about a book I love. This rant is mostly about WHY Margaret Wise Brown’s book is awesome, and what exactly makes it a foolproof book for kids.
Goodnight Moon is a classic.
Go ahead, argue with me; I dare you.
The book is simple and sweet. Not a linear story with a climactic ending- but soothing, ritualistic, and complex in its layering.
The pictures match the storyline perfectly. The book is written SO well that it lends itself to PERFECT storytelling, even by the stupidest of readers. Let me explain this statement. Have you ever listened to someone else read a book you are VERY accustomed to reading out loud? They tend to do it wrong. (I’m sure they think I do it wrong too: to each his own!) If you are used to re-reading books to your kids over and over, you often find a pattern and preference in how you emphasize the story.
The fascinating part about “Goodnight Moon” is, that it is almost impossible not to read it just like everyone else. The cadence is fluid and lends itself to a natural speed, crescendos and then pauses. For example, when you get to the first, “And a quiet old lady who was whispering “hush”” there is a natural break, the perfect time for the page turn too. I was fascinated, and not at all annoyed when I heard my husband read this book aloud once, because there was little room for interpretation.
The layering of this classic bedtime book is something I have always appreciated. For the little bunny, we observe him seeing the pictures of the 3 bears and the cow jumping over the moon.It creates the assumption that those are the tales the bunny hears before bed. At some point I expect one of my kids to pick up on the overlap of the story they know depicted in the one they’re reading. Who doesn’t love a story within a story? Of course, maybe the bunny doesn’t know this; maybe the bunny mommy had just themed her bunny nursery with popular children’s books.
Goodnight Moon is reminiscent of the conversations we all have with our kids and their unwinding from their day. It also makes you wonder how big of a day that little bunny had. How long have the kittens been in his life? Will they stay there all night? Was he out in the cold and that is why the mittens are drying? How long has the balloon been floating around? Was there a recent birthday or carnival? It still seems to have helium so it must have been recent. My biggest concern of course- is the mouse just a pet or something that needs to be eradicated?
Continuing on: do bunnies care if mice are running around their house? Do you think that the old lady is a governess or a mama? I think the bunny’s room gives off a wealthy ictorian vibe, and I always view it as a Mary Poppins-esque bunny nurse.
Whatever you think about the details, contemplate them with your child as you read Goodnight Moon. Let the bunny’s bedtime observations allow you to explore your own thoughts of what sleep means for you and your own little bunnies.
