Kid's stuff: Goodnight socks!

There are millions of children's books out there in the world, but sometimes you find out for yourself why some of them stand the test of time. 

Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon was originally published in the 1940s and is blistering simple, with a little child going to sleep and saying goodnight to the small universe around them. Some of it is pretty cute - goodnight, mittens, goodnight kittens - and some of it is oddly upsetting - goodnight nobody?

We got it out from the library as part of a stack of books and were initially a little unimpressed. Neither of us grew up with the book, and really only knew it from 'goodnight hoppers' bit on The Wire, and it didn't seem that much.

So of course it's the one book in the whole world the kid can recite in one go. We bought a copy, and it was missing the first two pages and will take weeks to be replaced, but she don't mind - she already knows the whole story backwards.

Along with The Snowman, it's the end of day ritual. It's definitely comforting for her and a lovely way to finish the day for all concerned. Margaret knew what she was doing.