Goodnight Moon
by Margaret Wise Brown · first published 1947
37% recommend54% neutral9% critical
Why HN recommends it
Rhythmic, rhyming bedtime read-aloud for toddlers that is easy to memorize and pleasant to repeat. Simple room objects and small details, like clocks showing the time, reward repeated readings.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Goodnight to each of the objects in the great green room: the chairs, a comb, and the air.
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2015–2026The Little Island
Margaret Wise Brown
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 22 recommend · 2 mention2 recommend · 22 recommend
2020–2022The Runaway Bunny
Margaret Wise Brown
Recommended by 1 · mentioned by 51 recommend · 5 mention1 recommend · 51 recommend
Frog and Toad
Arnold Lobel
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 42 recommend · 4 mention2 recommend · 42 recommend
2015–2025The Napping House
Audrey Wood, Don Wood
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 32 recommend · 3 mention2 recommend · 32 recommend
2015–2026The Snail and the Whale
Julia Donaldson
Recommended by 8 · mentioned by 98 recommend · 9 mention8 recommend · 98 recommend
2009–2026The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Eric Carle
Recommended by 13 · mentioned by 3313 recommend · 33 mention13 recommend · 3313 recommend
2014–2026The Gruffalo
Julia Donaldson
Recommended by 8 · mentioned by 108 recommend · 10 mention8 recommend · 108 recommend
2008–2026The Little Engine That Could
Watty Piper
Recommended by 6 · mentioned by 126 recommend · 12 mention6 recommend · 126 recommend
…Bunny, and I Am A Mouse, both by Ole Risom and illustrated by Richard Scarry and John P. Miller, respectively, in a realistic style, as if they actually made the time to observe the plants and animals; Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown; Stack the Cats, by Susan Ghahremani; and Bear and Wolf, by Daniel Salmieri. The latter is my favorite so far because of this line, among others: “Bear and Wolf walked through…
on “Eric Carle has died” ↗Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodnight_Moon ( with bonus book ban credentials: From the time of its publication in 1947 until 1972, the book was "banned" by the New York Public Library due to the…
on “AI children's books, body horror edition” ↗…like books that rhythm or have some type of pattern. Here are some he likes: Enough Inigo Enough https://www.amazon.com/Enough-Inigo-Gentle-Revolution/dp/075... Good Night Moon https://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Moon-Margaret-Wise-Brown/dp... Little Blue Truck https://www.amazon.com/Little-Blue-Truck-board-book/dp/05445... Green Eggs and Ham https://www.amazon.com/Green-Eggs-Ham-Dr-Seuss/dp/0394800168
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?” ↗The Velveteen Rabbit The Owl and the Pussycat Goodnight Moon
on “Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?” ↗“Goodnight nobody, goodnight mush” That line from Goodnight Moon fascinated me. What a strangely beautiful bit of absurdism in a children’s book! This article really makes clear the beauty of the pacing and care for language in her work. Brown apparently spent several…
on “The Radical Woman Behind “Goodnight Moon”” ↗As an author, voice actor, and the dad of a three-year-old, there is something about "Goodnight Moon" that is a pleasure to read aloud. The pacing is excellent, the syllables deftly selected. My favorite passage is at the end: "Goodnight stars, goodnight air, goodnight noises everywhere." There is something…
on “The Radical Woman Behind “Goodnight Moon”” ↗Goodnight Moon is a fascinating book. My older child had noticed a few details which I hadn't: 1. The clocks are actually showing the appropriate time as it gets later in the evening. 2. There is a picture, on the…
on “The Radical Woman Behind “Goodnight Moon”” ↗Goodnight Moon is a great children's book for a few reasons. - It goes around introducing a bunch of objects in the room, filling the child's short term memory with them as they're introduced. This helps push other…
on “One Librarian Tried to Squash Goodnight Moon” ↗for me, it was much easier to read books like Little Blue Truck or Goodnight Moon night after night to my kids because they rhyme. I could memorize the poetry and read it as my boys went to sleep while half-asleep myself.
on “Eric Carle has died” ↗Her most satisfying book to read out loud is "The Little Island". If you liked "Goodnight Moon" then you'll find this to be an absolute treat. It's also a somewhat odd story, but it's the book that I enjoyed reading to my son the most. BTW, the book that I disliked reading the most was "The Little…
on “The Radical Woman Behind “Goodnight Moon”” ↗…books, as there are for YA & adults. Every once in a while you'll stumble upon a gem, but almost universally the stories kids want to hear on repeat are simple, imaginative and relatable - just like Goodnight Moon.
on “The Radical Woman Behind “Goodnight Moon”” ↗…their point-of-development is also relevant... meaning yeah some are kinda rudimentary... obviously. Some of my favorite books to read aloud to my child were from there. Classics are in there... - *Goodnight Moon*, where on your 10th reading you're still noticing little artistic differences from page to page - *Little Engine That Could*, everyone knows this classic and I think it's always the last book they…
on “Dolly Parton's Imagination Library” ↗…them some board books. Between 1 and 2, she will go through huge development in fine motor skills, logic, and language. In this year she'll become more ready for paper books, like Dr. Seuss books or Goodnight Moon, and will start to memorize them. She will start to learn that the words on the page go with the words to the story and pretend to read along. She'll also have the fine motor skills to put together…
on “Ask HN: Appropriate toy for a 1-year old girl that may lead to programming” ↗…from Dutch. But really interesting to focus on what was going on inside people's heads and how they viewed the world instead of simply historical events. More importantly: Llama Llama shopping Drama Goodnight Moon All aboard for the Bobo road
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗While Goodnight Moon is everyone's favorite, there is something about "The Little Island" by Margaret Wise Brown that captured me as a parent. I loved reading this story out loud. The writing is poetic and flows off the…
on “Eric Carle has died” ↗