"In the great green room
There was a telephone
And a red balloon
And a picture of--"
I don't know about you, but I just hang on the words of that last line. Margaret Wise Brown is nothing short of a literary genius when it comes to writing poetic, beautiful children's books. How many of us remember the lines, "Goodnight room/Goodnight moon/Goodnight cow jumping over the moon" BY HEART??? If ever there were a story to put me into a peaceful slumber (just by sheer memory), it would be Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon.
My favorite parts--the bright green room in contrast with the red balloon, the clear blue sky outside the window with stars twinkling and a bright, full moon peering in, the cadence of each page's simple, single line when spoken aloud with the lines preceding and following it--all greet me when I turn each page, and there's something calming and bittersweet about the memories they evoke. The moments of being tucked in and read to as I fall asleep are long since past. But I believe in my heart that little gems such as this story will continue to be passed down in future bedtime story rituals, for generations and generations to come.
So "Goodnight stars/Goodnight air/Goodnight noises everywhere."
Rating:
5Q: 100% original layout, poetic, easy to read, and simple
5P: I've yet to meet a child that didn't already have lines from this book committed to memory, which tells me that the 64 year old publication has still got the right stuff to make kids want to read it (and take naps with it!)
My favorite parts--the bright green room in contrast with the red balloon, the clear blue sky outside the window with stars twinkling and a bright, full moon peering in, the cadence of each page's simple, single line when spoken aloud with the lines preceding and following it--all greet me when I turn each page, and there's something calming and bittersweet about the memories they evoke. The moments of being tucked in and read to as I fall asleep are long since past. But I believe in my heart that little gems such as this story will continue to be passed down in future bedtime story rituals, for generations and generations to come.
So "Goodnight stars/Goodnight air/Goodnight noises everywhere."
Rating:
5Q: 100% original layout, poetic, easy to read, and simple
5P: I've yet to meet a child that didn't already have lines from this book committed to memory, which tells me that the 64 year old publication has still got the right stuff to make kids want to read it (and take naps with it!)
My boys and I loved The Runaway Bunny, also by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd. I don't know if it was intentional...why did I never research it?...but it is an allegory to Psalm 139. In fact, I gave it to a friend with overleaves of scripture plucked from that chapter. "Where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there!"
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, how beautiful! I had no idea. I am going to seek out that book immediately!
ReplyDelete