Goodnight Moon (book)

Can you feel how quiet it is here. I live inside a great green room, where a little bunny is tucked into bed. Let's look around together. There is a telephone for sleepy calls and a shiny red balloon floating near the ceiling, like a little red moon of its own. On the wall, there is a picture of a cow jumping right over the real moon. Do you see the two little kittens playing with a ball of yarn, and the tiny mouse who peeks out to say hello from behind the bookshelf. Everything is lit by the warm, soft glow of a lamp and the gentle crackle of the fire in the fireplace. It feels so safe and cozy, like a warm hug just before you fall asleep. All these wonderful things live inside my pages, waiting for you to visit each night. I am the book that holds this sleepy, peaceful world. My name is Goodnight Moon.

My story began with a woman who loved words and understood how little children think. Her name was Margaret Wise Brown, and she wanted to write a book that felt like a soft song, a special lullaby to help children say goodnight to the world around them. She knew that saying goodnight to everything in your room, even your socks, could make you feel safe. So she wrote my simple, gentle words as a quiet poem. Then, a man named Clement Hurd brought my world to life with his wonderful pictures. When you first open my pages, his colors are bright and happy, just like daytime. You can see the green walls, the yellow floor, and the bright red balloon. But as the little bunny gets sleepier, Clement did something truly magical. He slowly made the colors softer and darker, page by page, until the room is almost completely dark except for the light of the moon. It’s like watching the sun set right inside my story, turning a bright room into a shadowy, peaceful place for sleeping. I was finally ready to meet the world on September 3rd, 1947. From that day on, I was ready to help children feel calm as they drifted off to sleep.

For many, many years, I have been held by countless hands, both big and small. My pages have been turned by soft voices in bedrooms all over the world, from big cities to quiet country homes. The world outside has changed a lot since I was first made. Cars look different, and there are new kinds of toys. But some things always stay the same. The moon still shines brightly in the night sky, and the feeling of being tucked into bed is just as comforting as it has always been. Saying ‘goodnight’ is a special kind of magic that never gets old. I am more than just paper and ink. I am a quiet moment between a parent and a child, a soft hug in the form of a story, and a promise that after every goodnight, a bright new day is waiting. I help you connect with your world one last time before you drift off to sweet dreams.