Goodnight Moon

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. (Picture book)

Customer Review: Not satisfied

I still haven't received the book "Goodnight Moon." I ordered it over a month ago. Can you tell me why it's taking so long?

Customer Review: Amazon Recommends V: Goodnight Moon -- Margaret Wise Brown

Okay, ummm...



Somehow, all of my ratings and reviews for schlocky Japanese movies, Czechoslavakian animation, classic foreign films, experimental shorts, classic novels, and post-modern literature led to the recommendation of THIS. Granted, it is a classic: at 60 years old and counting, "Goodnight Moon" has apparently charmed generations of children and become a dependable picture book for parents. However, I am an unmarried 22 year old college student with decidedly adult tastes and less than half a thought to a future of having children. This makes me definitely not the target audience (newborn to 3 years or parents of such) for this piece.



That said, it's not like I can't see the qualities in this book. It looks to be a very effective nighttime story for putting toddlers to sleep: the repetition of and rhythm of the words creates a mantra-like effect to help calm the mind, the drawings are appropriately balanced and the colors a pleasant mute to keep the eyes from being over-stimulated while remaining interesting, and the theme of going to sleep can be pretty suggestive. Even as a story-book for non-nighttime uses, it's division between a broader view of the room and then a focus on the details could potentially help kids develop the abilities to identify and distinguish. As best as I can figure out child-rearing theory from this piece unto itself, it seems like a pretty good deal to get this book for your tiny bundle of nerves and wakefulness. But what would I know about it?



So why did I bother rating and reviewing this product if it's not "for me"? Well, simply because it amuses me that it somehow went to the top of my recommendations, plus the open-mindedness behind the idea of taking the Amazon engine's recommendations at face value. Hey, it wasn't a wasted two minutes it took to read this. And of some note is the page of the book within which nothing is drawn and the words say, "Good night, nobody." That page struck me because it seems pretty random in context of the work itself plus the idea behind children's development literature itself. I think it was included mostly to fit everything into the syntax and structure of the book, but still I think it's quite profound to include, among aspects of a room and its details, the sense of nothingness in between all the somethings. A children's book that recognizes nihil? Who knew?!



My three star rating of this product does not reflect the quality of it: it gets five stars because it seems like a well-crafted picture book. The lower rating reflects Amazon's specific recommendation of it to me. I mean, I know how it came to be... you rate some dark movies, it recommends Sweeney Todd, you rate that, it recommends Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you rate that, it recommends some Roald Dahl books (which I'm looking forward to revisiting if they get recommended, too), you rate those that you've read, it recommmends some children's lit, and before you know it you're rating The Paperbag Princess which you remember enjoying quite a bit when you were little. All because you liked the Rocky Horror Picture Show! Can't say I'm really complaining, though, because this has been a fairly fresh and unique review to approach writing. I've never really had to consider the qualities of picture books before, but their graphic presentation and concise wording present interesting things to think about unto themselves.



--PolarisDiB
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