Goodnight Moon

 Goodnight Moon

Written by Margaret Wise Brown

Illustrated by Clement Hurd

Published in 1947

Grade Level: 1st grade

Synopsis: Goodnight Moon is a well liked and well known children's book.  It is a wonderful example of a bedtime story.  "Author Susan Cooper writes that the book is possibly the only "realistic story" to gain the universal affection of a fairy-tale, although she also noted that it is actually a "deceptively simple ritual" rather than a story" (Wikipedia, 2011).  So many households experience similar nights.  That is why the story has gained popularity throughout the years.  The book focuses on a rabbit who says goodnight to everything around him; "Goodnight room. Goodnight moon.  Goodnight cow jumping over the moon.  Goodnight light, and the red balloon..." 

Theme/Skill: The story of Goodnight Moon opens up many pathways of teaching that teachers could follow.  For instance, teachers could use the book to activate students' prior knowledge (relate the activity of going to bed to their own lives), and teach them the similarities and differences between them and the bunny in the story.  A teacher could also choose to teach students about rhyming words, setting, or fairytales. 

Pre-reading activity: Introduce the title.  Have the students predict what they think the story might be about.  Ask them why they say that/what makes them think that.  This will get students thinking about their thought process.  Introduce the author and the illustrator to the students.  Make sure that they are clear about the roles of each.  Show the cover of the book and talk about the setting; where is this story going to take place? What time of day might it be?  Explain the basic plot of the story, which is that a bunny takes a long time to go to sleep because he spends so much time saying good night.  Take a picture walk and allow the students to point out objects in each picture that the bunny may say goodnight to. 

Post-reading activity: The author of Hubbard's Cupboard has many wonderful suggestions for teachers about a plethora of children's books.  The website suggests an entire unit based on Brown's Goodnight Moon.  Ask students if they recognized part of a nursery rhyme in the story.  Introduce the companion nursery rhyme 'Hey, Diddle, Diddle.'  Read the poem aloud and have students share the things in this poem that could never really happen (cat playing a fiddle, cow jumping over the moon, dog laughing, dish and spoon running).  Of course, these things are all personification, yet first graders do not yet need to know such a term.  The teacher should then reread 'Hey, Diddle, Diddle' and let students enjoy the rhyme.

Assessment: This lesson would be appropriate for first graders who are at the age when it is important for them to build the skill of sentence building and vocabulary.  That is why students will be informally assessed on their ability to form complete sentences when sharing answers. 

Reflection: In a book review about Goodnight Moon, writer Josh Hanagarne says better than I could why this is such an amazing book.  He says, "the book sounds like going to sleep.  I’m not sure how else to say it.  By the time I read it, my voice gets quieter and quieter, without me realizing it.  I have no idea if Brown had this intention, but my belief is that Goodnight Moon was written as much for wiggly toddlers as for adults who are winding down for the night" (Book Review, July, 13, 2010).  Clearly Margaret Wise Brown has succeeded in writing a book that will be loved and read at bedtime for generations to come.