When Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown was made into a board book everyone cheered. Written sixty-some years ago, it has become a favorite book for many families, spanning generations. It’s a going-to-bed story, with all kinds of things to notice, including a little mouse who shows up on each page. The room darkens with each turn of the page. This book has become a classic, and you will want it in your child’s library. And, yes, you will read it over and over again.
Look also for Runaway Bunny, another favorite. Margaret Wise Brown had an unusual gift of entering into a small child’s world and helping the reader notice. I am delighted that many of the hundred books she wrote in her short life (she died at age 42) have recently been published in new editions. Look for Big Red Barn. Many of her books are available in Spanish.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle is another classic that will become a favorite and you will find your 18-month-old son bringing this book to you for a snuggle-up reading time. Look also for The Very Hungry Caterpillar or Have You Seen My Cat?
There are so many authors and illustrators to talk about—Mem Fox’s Time for Bed; Tomie dePaola’s Tomie’s Little Mother Goose or Eric Hill’s Where’s Spot? The important thing is meeting one or two authors who set a standard. As you become familiar with one author after another, you are on your way to learning how to pick out good books.
