Buenas Noches, Luna

This children's book has obviously generated bushels of critical acclaim. It seems wrongheaded to pile another log onto the woodpile, but I feel compelled to do so, only if to air my own admiration for this work. I do have a twist, however, we have this book in both English and Spanish. The first time I read it to my then two year old in Spanish, she looked at me as if I were a Martian. Funny, the rhyme and rhythm of this whimsical piece translate very well, preserving the mood and tempo. It is certainly a classic.

The Good Night book: This is a night-night book top to bottom. The protagonist, a sleepy little rabbit, is pictured page by page with the omnipresent clock ticking away the time. An hour of life passes before us as rabbit gets tucked in and finally finds blissful slumber. The illustrations are excellent, with a nuance that darkens the scene as the pages turn, as a room darkens from dusk to dark. The fire slowly fades. The stars and moon start to glow brighter. It is a very subtle effect, as are the clocks, and it makes me sleepy when I read it.

Simplicity, simply stated: The peripherals are what fascinate me. The very same peripherals in Looney Tunes of the same era fascinate me. The artists, and in this case, the illustrator, display their visceral revelations; the trim work, the windows, the furnishings. Their mind's eye is quite revealing, and it is easy to get lost in the past. The technicolor renderings are certainly for children, because life in 1947 was not this colorful, but the topography is bonafide. Life was simpler back then.

I read:

En la gran habitacion verde,
Hay un telefono,
Un globo rojo,
y un cuadro

Rabbit is replete in his blue and white striped pajamas. He starts a reflective dialog with the inanimate objects that surround him....the mundane and the fantastic.

He sees the kittens, the socks, the mittens, the doll house and the scurrying mouse.

He looks at the contents of the night stand, and the knitting granny rabbit.

And so it begins, "Buenas noches, habitacion".

The rabbit says goodnight to everything that is in sight.

As child development specialists of our time will tell you, it is important to set a routine for the little ones that will cue them to bedtime. This story is the manifestation of that premise, yet it appeared before the premise was solidified by scientific study. Perhaps our elders used plain common sense in order to influence juvenile behavior. Fact is, they knew the same things we know now, they just did not quantify everything with scientific discourse. It could have been the lack of resources or just plain lack of need, but they knew child behavior patterns just as any other parent would. The rabbit's routine was to bid good night to his surroundings, and this was his route to sleepy time. The point of the work is for the rugrats to vicariously acquire the very same sleepyness that rabbit exhibits. Genius.

Illustrative detail: I must say I'm smitten by the illustrations in Good Night, Moon. They are so simple, yet rich and vivid. The main pages are techniclor, the sub-pages are gray, but the shapes and the scenes are wonderfully done. Color and light is played like a game. If you take the time and study the illustrations, they do stand out, and they are captivating.

Notes: The text is penned by Margaret Wise Brown, and her fancy is appreciated. The rhymes and the tempo is just perfect for a bedtime read. Clement Hurd does the illustrations, he is a genius incarnate.

An interesting sidenote, myself having both English and Spanish versions of the book, is that photographs of the author and illustrator are not offered in the Spanish version, although a brief synopsis of their biographies appear in the back. The English version, an older printing features pictures of the author and illustrator, Ms. Wise Brown in an era portrait, and Mr. Hurd in an apparent candid shot, with a broad smile and cigarette in hand.

I guess life was simpler back then when it came to political correctness as well.

So goes an era, for better or worse.

Buenas noches, ruidos
Buenas noches, Tierra