McSweeney's tackles the SparkNotes for a beloved children's classic
I know I've discussed this before, but I am dead inside and therefore am not a fan of Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon. Luckily for me, Lorelai feels the same and cares more about chewing on the book than reading it (however, she will only deign to go in her crib if I've read her Curdoroy at least three times. Girl has taste, what can I say?) Besides the colors that actual hurt my delicate eyeballs... my biggest issue with the book is the repeat on two subsequent pages: "Goodnight Moon" followed by "Goodnight cow jumping over the moon". I don't know why, but the repetition makes me want to stab The Quite Old Lady Who Was Whispering "Hush" (this is most likely due to the fact that I hate to be shushed). However, I do love me some SparkNotes and some McSweeney's. So Goodnight Moon fans and haters alike...please to be enjoying the following: Summary/Analysis The book opens as a young bunny prepares for sleep in his bedroom. The first half of Brown’s magnum opus is entirely devoted to the contents of “the great green room.” As symbolic items such as a “balloon” and a “telephone” are described, our protagonist bunny, oppressively tucked into bed, resists the confines of sleep. Brown gives particular attention to a large number of animals that populate the room: “two kittens with mittens” and a “little mouse.” The room also contains a picture of a “cow jumping over a moon” and “bears on chairs.” Here, Brown twists our preconceptions of settings—where the internal now is wild, but the external (“the moon” and “the stars”) serene. The room full of raging wildlife mirrors the little bunny’s desire to throw off his sheets and play. Read the rest of McSweeney's SparkNotes for Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown here.