Goodnight Moon

This first time I remember reading this book, I was babysitting my neighbor, John, who I had been watching since he was only a few months old. He was mesmerized with the pictures, rhyming and finding all of the items that the story talks about in the room. It was a kind of searching game that we played that really didn't relax him for bed at all, but it was his favorite. This book was written in 1947 and it is interesting to me the use of color pages and strictly black and white as well. That is only seen occasionally even now and it gives it a real sense of television when you read through it. It is as though you see the stage/set of the show in the paintings of the room. Then they pan into the scene to highlight an object of importance, then pan back to see the whole room and for you to search with you eyes the item of importance. The pages are also very informal and comfortable with the position of the text usually inside the picture, floating in space. The room paintings, not being framed on the page, give it a really relaxed feel, like a home would be like, where as the panned in pages of black and white are more formal with the framing, the text outside the frame and the absence of color. The bright use of color is definitely ahead of its time, and confuses me in the way it is used. Why use such vibrant colors in a children book about going to bed. I supposed the only explanation is that as the images dim with the little mouse’s night light, it is easier to see the change throughout the book if the beginning colors are brighter and more vibrant to begin with. Overall, I think that this book is a great addition to any classroom or family library and obviously has some merit and credibility having been a classic for so many years.