Goodnight Moon :: A Bedtime Favorite

Goodnight Moon

by: Margaret Wise Brown

Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 12/20/2009)

Perhaps the perfect children's bedtime book, Goodnight Moon is a short poem of goodnight wishes from a young rabbit preparing for--or attempting to postpone--his own slumber. He says goodnight to every object in sight and within earshot, including the "quiet old lady whispering hush." Clement Hurd's illustrations are simple and effective, alternating between small ink drawings and wide, brightly colored views of the little rabbit's room.

Finding all of the items mentioned throughout the book within the pictures is a good bedtime activity--a reappearing little mouse is particularly pesky. By the end of the little rabbit's goodnight poem, the story has quieted to a whisper, and the drawings have darkened with nightfall. As you turn the last page, you can expect a sleepy smile and at least a yawn or two.

My World: A Companion to Goodnight Moon

by: Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd

Amazon Price: (as of 12/20/2009)

Originally published in 1949 (two years after Goodnight Moon) and out of print for more than 30 years, this melodic companion narrated by the endearing rabbit child introduces those elements of his life that he holds most dear. Brown's minimal text has a dreamlike, impressionistic quality reminiscent of her earlier book, yet the narrative adheres to a child's sense of logic as the bunny strings together the items and activities that fill his day. He defines his world in terms of his parents: "Daddy's boy./ Mother's boy./ My boy is just a toy/ Bear." In alternating spreads, Hurd portrays simple, black-and-white images of items or pastimes (the child's toothbrush hanging on a hook next to his father's; father and son fishing together) and full-color scenarios (recolored by Clement's son Thacher) spawned by those images (the boy brushes his teeth as one parent soaks in the tub and the other primps in front of a mirror; the family gathers around the table to dine on freshly caught fish). The final color spread underscores the volume's universality, as well as the little rabbit's contentment: swinging from a tree branch as his parents sit nearby on the porch, he announces: "Your world./ My world./ I can swing/ Right over the world." The volume's words and pictures stretch the boundaries of its time-honored predecessor, affirming that there is, indeed, a warm and welcoming world beyond the great green room. (From Publishers Weekly)

Goodnight Moon Rabbit Plush, 10"

Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 12/20/2009)

Based on the beloved books by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd comes this very soft And cuddly 10" Goodnight Moon plush. This bunny brings the story to life.

Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon

by: Leonard S. Marcus

Amazon Price: $13.63 (as of 12/20/2009)

Margaret Wise Brown, the author of Goodnight Moon and dozens of other children's classics, all but invented the picture book as we know it today. Combining poetic instinct with a profound empathy for small children, she knew of a child's need for security, love, and a sense of being at home in the world and she brought that unique tenderness to the page.

Yet these were comforts that eluded her. Brown's youthful presence and professional success as an editor, bestselling author, and self-styled impresario masked in security that left her restless and vulnerable. In this moving biography, Marcus portrays Brown's complex character and her tragic, seesaw life. Her literary achievement and groundbreaking discoveries about small children's emotional needs were offset by tormented romances including a passionate relationship with Michael Strange, the celebrity socialite once married to John Barrymore.

The Picture Book Made New: Margaret Wise Brown and Her Illustrators

by: Leonard S. Marcus

Amazon Price: $24.95 (as of 12/20/2009)

From "Acknowledgments," by H. Nichols B. Clark:
"Margaret Wise Brown launched her writing career at a time when a rejection of the fanciful and romantic in children's literature was reinforced by a belief that the genre should reflect a new reality embodied in the ascendant industrial and urban society of America. Consequently, a significant aspect of Brown's literary output was grounded in the 'here and now,' and she gravitated to artists who shared similar modernist tendencies. To be sure, many of her stories were rooted in the imaginary, and a good fit between narrative and image was always paramount."

Goodnight Moon Big Book

by: Margaret Wise Brown

Amazon Price: $18.99 (as of 12/20/2009)

If you are a teacher or librarian who tends to read to a group, this Goodnight Moon Big Book is perfect. Being extra large, you can turn the book for all the kids to be able to easily see the illustrations. This would be a great item for just before nap time in a nursery school.

Goodnight Moon and Other Sleepytime Tales

Amazon Price: $11.49 (as of 12/20/2009)

Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd's bestselling children's book headlines this winning 25-minute collection of sleepytime tales from HBO. Susan Sarandon narrates the simple story of a bunny readying for bed. Other top entertainers lend their voices to the tape: Tony Bennett sings the story of "Hit the Road to Dreamland"; Lauryn Hill brings rhythm to "Hush, Little Baby" (the best segment); Billy Crystal lends many voices to Mercer Mayer's "There's a Nightmare in My Closet"; and singers Natalie Cole, Aaron Neville, and Patti LeBelle sing other tales. A dandy video for the youngster, punctuated with "interviews" of real kids answering a host of bedtime questions. --Doug Thomas