Every night to get R down to sleep, I read (more like recite) Goodnight Moon to her. I don't really understand why it's called Goodnight Moon, though. The moon doesn't appear prominently in the book, nor does it appear at some climactic or culminating moment.Most of the second half of the book is the little rabbit saying goodnight to the things named in the first half of the book, and the moon isn't one of the things mentioned in the first half.
In the first half, there is: a telephone, a red balloon, a picture of the cow jumping over the moon, three bears sitting on chairs, two little kittens, a pair of mittens, a little toy house, a young mouse, a comb, a brush, a bowl full of mush, and a quiet old lady who is whispering hush.
Then, in the second half, he says goodnight to: the room, the moon, the cow jumping over the moon, the light, the red balloon, bears, chairs, kittens, mittens, clocks, socks, the toy house, the mouse, the comb, the brush, nobody, mush, the old lady whispering hush, stars, air, and noises everywhere.
So, why, exactly, is it called Goodnight Moon? I mean, isn't Goodnight Room a more descriptive title for the book? I can come up with a number of reasons why it's called Goodnight Moon but none really satisfy me, yet. Is it just because "moon" is more poetic than "room"?
Also, what's up with the blank page where he says "goodnight nobody"?
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Yes! I have been wondering about exactly the same things!
ReplyDeleteThe blank page is weird. I mean, she doesn't need the "goodnight nobody" to rhyme with anything (not that she's always consistent with rhyme or meter).
Have you read any of her other books? They just confirm my suspicion that Margaret Wise Brown was kind of strange. Sweet, but strange. The companion book to Goodnight Moon, which is called My World, is REALLY weird. The rhyme and meter are completely off and it's full of non sequiturs. Also, The Little Fur Family is a strange little story and the book (which is a miniature book, very cute) is covered in fake fur. Weird.