Book Review on Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Please note that this blog has been created as an assignment for a TWU course.

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Wise Brown, Margaret. 2005. GOODNIGHT MOON. Ill. by Clement Hurd. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 100060775858

2.      PLOT SUMMARY

In this picture book, Margaret Wise Brown writes about winding down before bedtime with a familiar routine of saying “goodnight” to all of the objects in a particular room.  She describes how following a nightly routine can be a calm way to drift off to sleep.

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Margaret Wise Brown’s writes soft rhymes with a slow and calming rhythm.  “Goodnight bears.  Goodnight chairs.  Goodnight kittens.  And goodnight mittens.”  This story helps children understand the concept of a nightly routine and how it can calm them down for bedtime in a simple way because it contains characters and a plot that children can relate to.  Also, many children have similar objects in their rooms. 

Clement Hurd’s illustrations fit beautifully with the text.  The pictures are full of interesting details.  The colors are simple and vivid, gradually getting dimmer in the room as the night sky gets brighter outside the window.  The moon changes position in each scene, the mouse and cats move around in each scene, and the hands on the clock move to indicate time passing.  The colorful and detailed pages are alternated with simpler black and white illustrations that single out a detail of a room, like a picture or a mouse.

This will be an excellent book to share because it helps readers to understand nightly routines and how they can be calming.  Also, it is a great book for teaching children the names of specific objects that are in most bedrooms. 

4.      REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE: “After fifty years, this story is still going strong…”

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: “A little rabbit bids goodnight to each familiar thing in his moonlit room. Rhythmic, gently lulling words combined with warm and equally lulling pictures make this beloved classic an ideal bedtime book.”

5.       CONNECTIONS

*For young children, this book would encourage establishing a nightly ritual.  Also, young children can learn the names of objects that are likely in their rooms.

*Gather other books written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd:

Wise Brown, Margaret. MY WORLD. Ill. by Clement Hurd. ISBN 0694016608

Wise Brown, Margaret. THE RUNAWAY BUNNY. Ill. by Clement Hurd. ISBN 0061074292