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Why do I love the book Goodnight Moon?

I was reading this book tonight to my 7-month old boy, and was in awe of the development of the tiny human being. I was in awe because it seems that my boy can now understand the concept, and perhaps even the words, "turn the page".

I had received Goodnight Moon as a gift, having never heard of it beforehand. My initial reading of the book - about saying good-night to various objects in a room - left me very unimpressed. I found the drawings and the colours unimpressive and I couldn't understand what was so great about the writing. I abandoned the book.

A few weeks later I read the book Baby Read-Aloud Basics: Fun and Interactive Ways to Help Your Little One Discover the World of Words (another book I love, for another posting!). This book lists Goodnight Moon as recommended reading material for baby. So I decided to give it another try; baby was 4 months old at the time. To my surprise he was mesmerised by the book. Every time we opened the book I had his undivided attention. I found myself enjoying the book - there is something quite charming about the words when read aloud slowly and deliberately for my son. I now found the drawings quaint and a reminder of a time long past.

My husband reads the book to him on most nights now; it is good bonding time. Sure some passages don't make sense - the "old lady whispering hush" is drawn as a rabbit, not a lady! But I still look forward to many many nights of reading this with my son, and as he grows, we can discover all the little items in the drawings in the book together.

While we read to our son as much as possible, our Goodnight Moon bedtime reading has been the one constant read-aloud routine we have established. I love seeing how baby is becoming more aware of the book's contents and touching the pages. And maybe that's why baby seems to now understand "turn the page".

That's why I love Goodnight Moon. Makes it a good Mom deal to me.

What baby read-aloud book do you love? I'd love to hear about it.