phineaskc's Full Review: Margaret Wise Brown - Goodnight Moon: Pw Zoo Hli
The book Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is a bedtime story classic. First published in 1947, this story has lulled many children to sleep over the years. Surprisingly, I first heard of this story and purchased the book nearly eleven years ago when my eldest nephew was just a tot. I specifically chose this book because he was the worst procrastinator when it came to going to bed. Just like the little bunny in the book.
The Book
The version I am reviewing is the board book. It is approximately 6 inches wide by 5 inches in height. The pages are thick and easy to turn for little fingers.
There are 32 pages with recommended reading ages of preschool and younger. This book might be too simple for children over the age of three to four.
The Story
The story starts in "the great green room" where we find the baby bunny tucked neatly into bed. Oh but this bunny isn't quite ready to go to sleep just yet. With his slippers at his bedside and the curtain open halfway to expose the starry sky, this little bunny peers around the room making note of everything in site.
Anything to keep from going to sleep.
From the pictures on the wall to the red balloon, the little bunny bids them goodnight but he doesn't stop there. Bunny says goodnight to everything in his room but also to the stars, air, and "goodnight noises everywhere".
The rhymes in the book are really quite simple and easy to remember including, "And a comb and a brush and a bowl full of mush and a quiet old lady who was whispering hush". Some of the rhymes don't flow all that well and they are basic but for a beginners childrens book that isn't a bad thing. In fact, so basic that soon they will be reciting the story right along with you as you read.
The Illustrations
Honestly without the illustrations by Clement Hurd, this book would not be the classic that it has become. With alternating full color and black and white illustrations, each picture tells the story.
The rhymes take us to different objects in and outside of the room but it is the illustrations that take the story from beginning to end with wonderful drawings that accompany the simple rhymes. The artist does a great job capturing the room and the characters on each page, making this a delightful tale and a great book for young ones.
The alternating colored pages are really quite clever because if you pay close attention to the details, you pick up on things you might have missed when reading it the first time. For example, did you notice . . .
In each of the colored illustrations the tiny mouse appears somewhere in the room.
The bunny started off to sleep at 7:00PM but didn't finish his goodnights until 8:00PM according to the clock on the mantle. No wonder the bunny wasn't sleepy. What child goes to bed at 7:00PM?
Goodnight Moon is the storybook on his bedside table.
Overall Thoughts
This is a simply delightful bedtime story for little ones. As they grow older they will enjoy the story even more because they can participate in pointing out objects in the room or the little mouse that appears on each colored page.
My nephew always took great pleasure in pounding at the pages with his chubby little fingers each time he saw the tiny mouse. It was the same routine each weekend but I never tired of reading that story and kept it a regular tradition for weekends at auntie's house. The same story. The same pictures. I can't wait to share keep the tradition going with my newest nephew.
If you haven't read this book to your own child then grab a copy today. It is never too early to introduce children to books and this is a great one to get them started.
A little rabbit bids goodnight to each familiar thing in his room, in this classic story told with gently lulling words and soothing illustrations. 19...More at Barnes & Noble.com
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