Margaret Wise Brown: the ultimate bedtime storybook author? Post by M. Locker.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. Illustrated by Clement Hurd.

This book is widely recognized as one of the great classics of children’s literature. Written in a gentle, rhythmic, lyrical style which made Brown so beloved, Goodnight Moon’s very cadence is sure to lull children right to sleep. For those who have managed to get this far in life without reading this, it tells the simple story of a young rabbit wishing every item in his room a good night. Some reviews suggest that this is a dark book in disguise, discussing the existential crisis of a child watching the world fade into darkness around him, I think it’s just a sweet and lovely little tale. We have this book in both board book and original hardcover. The board book is far too small to fully appreciate the detailed illustrations provided by Clement Hurd.

The Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown. Pictures by Felicia Bond.

I had never heard of this book until it was given to my son last year. It has the same soothing rhythm as Goodnight Moon. It tells the story of all the animals living in and around a big red barn. Throughout the book, we are introduced to all the animals on the farm and we see them play together throughout the day. As the sun begins to set all the animals go to bed, until “only the mice were left to play/rustling and squeaking in the hay/While the moon sailed high/In the dark night sky.” What I love about this book is that as the story slows down, you can read it quieter and quieter, until the last few lines can be read in barely a whisper. It’s not as well-known as Goodnight Moon but it should be.

Tags: bedtime stories, Charles P. Rogers, Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown, The Big Red Barn