Goodnight+Moon

** Summary/Review: **
Goodnight Moon is a poem written to describe a bunny's bedtime ritual of saying "goodnight" to various objects in the bunny's bedroom: the red balloon, the bunny's dollhouse, the kittens, etc. In a great green room, tucked away in bed, is a little bunny. "Goodnight room, goodnight moon." And to all the familiar things in the softly lit room from the picture of the three little bears sitting in chairs, to the clocks and his socks, to the mittens and the kittens, to everything one by one-he says goodnight. In this classic example of modern children's literature, beloved by generations of readers and listeners, the quiet poetry of the words and the gentle, lulling illustrations combine to make a perfect book for the end of the day.



** Author Biography: **
Margaret Wise Brown was born on May 23, 1910 in Brooklyn, New York and she died November 13, 1952. After her graduation in 1928, Brown went on to Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia. Following her graduation with a B.A. in English from Hollins in 1932, Brown worked as a teacher, and also studied art. It was while working in New York City that she started writing books for children. Her first book was When the Wind Blew, published in 1937 by Harper & Brothers.

She once stated that the author of a book didn't seem important to her as a child; it was the story that was important. As she once said of writing, "One can but hope to make a child laugh or feel clear and happy-headed as he follows the simple rhythm to its logical end. It can jog him with the unexpected and comfort him with the familiar, lift him for a few minutes from his own problems of shoelaces that won't tie, and busy parents and mysterious clock time, into the world of a bug or a bear or a bee or a boy living in the timeless world of a story.”

** Other Works: **
When the Wind Blew, 1937. The Runaway Bunny, 1942. Red Light Green Light, 1944. They All Saw It, 1944. Little Fur Family, 1946. The Little Island, 1946. The Sleepy Little Lion, 1947. Wait till the Moon is, 1948. The Important Book, 1949. The Color Kittens, 1949. My World, 1949. O Said the Squirrel, 1950. Fox Eyes, 1951. The Duck, 1952. Mister Dog: The Dog Who Belonged to Himself, 1952. Scuppers the Sailor Dog, 1953. Big Red Barn, 1954. Three Little Animals, 1956. Home for a Bunny, 1956. Noisy Book series

** Awards: **
2 Best Toy Awards, Goodnight Moon. Caldecott Medal, 1947 (for Little Island)

** Historical Context: **
Genre: Childrens Literature. Published in 1947 by Harper Collins.

** Major Themes: **
Sleep, focus, meaning

** Citations: **
http://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Moon-Margaret-Wise-Brown/dp/0694003611 [] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodnight_Moon