One of the best bedtime story books for children found on so many bookshelves is Goodnight Moon. Mine is already worn out 2.5 years later (as you can probably tell from the pic I have posted)!

What is it about this book that has made it so popular? The story starts in a big green room with lots of objects.  Then it takes you through some brightly colored pages alternated by black and white as you say goodnight to various things around the room, including the moon.  The lighting gets darker and darker as you reach the end of the book where you finally say “goodnight noises everywhere”.

It is gifted often and has sold over 48,000,000 copies since it was first published in 1947.  After Brown’s death, royalties were given to her neighbor’s nine year old son, Albert Clarke – which may not have been a such a great idea.  If you are curious to learn what happened to Albert, read this.

If your child loves the book, check out Goodnight Lab, by Chris Ferrie – a scientific parody of Goodnight Moon. My son loved it!

Happy Reading! Night night.