One of its core beliefs was that young children were still discovering the world around them and could be fascinated by stories that dealt with simple, daily tasks, like saying goodnight before going to bed.īrown also maintained that children first had to fully appreciate the daily reality around them before they could enjoy the type of fantasy storytelling that characterizes fairy tales. This approach was expounded in a book written by Lucy Sprague Mitchell, Brown's mentor, and advocated in a journal published by the Bank Street College. She subscribed to an approach to writing known as “here-and-now” storytelling. The stories typically had a moral message and contained unusual happenings.īrown believed that kids would respond better to stories set in their everyday lives. These stories, many of them written in the 19th century, often focused on faraway lands and unusual creatures. When she began her writing career in the 1930s, children's literature was dominated by fairy tales. Margaret Wise Brown, the author of Goodnight Moon, was a strong advocate of a new type of children's book. Goodnight Moon Was a New Type of Children's Book But what is it precisely about this colorfully illustrated book that attracts generation after generation to its pages? Here are several factors that help explain the story's longevity.

Its simplicity, use of repetitive wordplay, and ability to lull little ones off to sleep have won it praise from parents and literary critics alike. Since its release in 1947, Goodnight Moon has remained a family favorite bedtime story.

Goodnight Moon = by Margaret Wise Brown