In the great green room, there was a telephone and a red balloon . . . The Margaret Brown Wise bedtime classic, Goodnight Moon, has been loved for generations and is a popular gift to give to a new baby or expectant mom. It also provides plenty of colorful inspiration for a themed — and adorable! — baby shower.
Source: Hostess with the Mostess
Studies show that babies who are read to and sung to at an early age will demonstrate higher reading skills than other children. While many parents don't think a newborn is paying attention to the texts in their early days, getting them into a routine of reading will be worth the time spent in their infancy. These are 10 books every newborn nursery should have on the shelves.
Kate Bosworth and Leslie Mann are about to get gritty. The actresses have signed on for the drama Goodnight Moon, a semi-autobiographical tale about two teens (AnnaSophia Robb and Juno Temple) who get caught up with street kids when they're duped into a bad scam. Mann will play the mother of one of the girls, while Bosworth has been cast as Mann's sister.
Note to parents: despite its misleading title, sweet bedtime tale this most certainly is not (something tells me the cow jumping over the moon doesn't tend to carry a switchblade). However, I am excited to watch Mann branch out of husband Judd Apatow's clutches and take on something more serious. Do you think she and Bosworth make for convincing siblings?
Like them or not, classic books are staple gifts and bedtime reads because of their nostalgia inducing images and phrases for parents and their sweet tried and true story hooks that leave a smile on even the sleepiest kid's face.
I've always preferred reading my children contemporary tales, but I do have a soft spot in my heart for the classics like Pat the Bunny and Good Night Moon. I have put together a list of my favorite go-to traditional tales. What's the classic in your house?
Here Comes the Bookmobile With Hot, New Summer Pages! With lyrical rhymes and Where's Waldo? detail, this parody of the childhood bedtime favorite Goodnight Moon bids farewell to the Bush administration.
All week we have been telling you about some of our favorite children's books in honor of Children's Book Week. We hope the next time you need a book, you'll consider adding one of these to your kiddie library.
If there's one book that's synonymous with bedtime, it's Goodnight Moon. I was given at least three copies of it when I was pregnant. It is one of the few books that my husband and I both recall our parents reading to us when we were wee ones. He claims that it can still put him to sleep. (I keep a copy of it on our bedside table in case of emergencies). 
Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd created this masterpiece over 60 years ago and it has become a staple in most children's libraries. There are bright colored illustrations as well as black and white ones to hold a baby's attention. On top of the pretty artwork, the story is written in a sweet and soothing rhyme - just what baby needs at bedtime.
Goodnight noises everywhere... yawn.
