Goodnight Moon: An American Phenomenon

In our house growing up, we always read before bed. I remember being a little girl and reading Goodnight Moon with my mom. I loved how peaceful and relaxing the book was with the rabbit and the green room. When I got pregnant, Goodnight Moon was one of the first books on our registry. Naturally, it's a classic! 

Well, apparently it's only a classic in America. My British friend, Charlotte, asked me if I had Goodnight Moon when Coco was about six weeks old. "No!" I exclaimed, "I put it on our registry and no one got it. We really have to get a copy soon!" Charlotte exclaimed right back, "Every American mum I know has Goodnight Moon. I just do not understand that book at all!" What?! It had never (ever!) occurred to me that any child in the English-speaking world had grown up without Goodnight Moon. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around it.

Thankfully, Coco got her very own Goodnight Moon for Christmas from my sister Amy, who is an amazing photographer, and her husband Tod, who is an English professor and poet. Phew! Order restored.

What are your favorite bedtime stories? Do you still read before bed?

{black and white photos from here and here}