I thought about veering off topic this month, but frankly in a world so full of dark right now, I need some magic in my life.
Books, especially children’s book are filled with magic and imagination. One of my favorite children’s books is Goodnight Moon. Full disclosure, I barely remember books I read as a child. Fuller disclosure, I barely remember what I read last night 😊 What I do know was that the book was a romance with a happily-ever-after that takes me away from the universal troubles of yesterday and today, and will again tonight and tomorrow night. When I was a kid, I read constantly and I still do.
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| Daylight Moon |
For children, books can either take you away into a magical
land or they can show the splendor of the world around us. That is what Goodnight
Moon does. I can still see the look on my first-born grandson’s face
when he was three—he’s now thirteen—as I read him Goodnight Moon.
We sat on a cushioned bench seat underneath his bedroom window, with a full
moon shining over the snowy Colorado mountains in the distance. His eyes were
wide as he looked at the pictures, then pointed to our very own moon right
outside the window. This book was passed down to his brother.
I don’t have a copy of Goodnight Moon, so I can’t quote from the book. But I do have a copy of my third-born grandson’s tattered and well-loved Goodnight Maine, inscribed by moi – to my precious Jack. This is my book of choice to give to my friends with newborns.
Books like this take us to magical places, like the shores and mountains of Maine, as we say hello to the seagulls, bears, moose, and lobsters. We play at the beach by the Atlantic Ocean, kayak down rivers, and climb mountains, and then we say goodnight to the moon shining above the mountains, and the lobstermen putting away their boats, and the lighthouse that shines all night. The book takes us through the seasons in this vast state, from snowy mountaintops to the summer seashore with seals.
Now that my grandson is eleven, he is experiencing mountain climbing and kayaking in the bay near his home, where great views of the moon shining on islands and the ocean abound. The moon still remains a magical place for young and old together.
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| Crazy Cloud Formation Surrounding Full Moon |
I’ll admit to standing in my backyard in the middle of the
night taking photos of the moon. Or rising early to see the sun peaking at us
on the eastern horizon, while the moon dips low in the western skyline. Gazing
at the moon takes me away from my problems. It puts into perspective the
grandeur, and yes, the miracle, of our lives. And each time I gaze on the moon,
I visualize the wonderment, and the hope of innocence, in the eyes all three
grandsons.
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| Perfect position to peak through two trunks of the oak tree |
And I pray that all three will be able to live long, magical
lives, in peace and harmony and love, in a world much better than the one we
have today.
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| After The Ice Storm |
So, enjoy your favorite books, and once in a while look back
on those that were favorites as a child. AND remember the magic!
For
grownup magical romance in Maine, check out: Starlight Grille
Amazon:
(also in print) https://www.amazon.com/Starlight-Grille-Serenity-Harbor-Collection-ebook/dp/B07CN8JV2Z/
Books2Read books2read.com/u/3yDjWe
~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires
burning ~
Delsora
Lowe writes small town sweet romances and contemporary westerns from the
mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.
Author of
the Starlight Grille series, Serenity
Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of
Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine.
Social Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Author FaceBook page: fb.me/delsoraloweauthor
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
LINKS:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodnight_Moon https://www.mainemadeandmore.com/product/goodnight-maine/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodnight_Moon https://www.mainemadeandmore.com/product/goodnight-maine/
18 comments:
A lovely reminder of the "romance" of children's books. I loved reading Goodnight Moon to my niece and seeing the wonder in her eyes. Thanks for this post.
I love, love, love this post for the magic in your words and pictures. I've numerous pictures of the moon in all her glory from my back deck through the branches of trees or even in the clear night sky. And the moon shining on the ocean is one of my favorites. I'm not sure my great grands have "Goodnight Moon" but they soon shall if they don't already.
Thanks, Susan and Judith - it is such a sweet book. I think viewing the moon helps us realize their is something bigger in the universe than just our earth - it gives me hope, for sure.
Great post, Delsora! I loved Margaret Wise Brown's poetical books for children --not only the simple, heart-warming messages but also the beauty of the rhythmic language. Your post made me click through to the Wikipedia article about the book, and I learned some fascinating things! I never picked up on, for instance, all the little references in Goodnight Moon that tie back to her book, The Runaway Bunny. Fun!
Cool, Diana - I guess I better invest in another copy next time I can go shopping in a real book store.
I love the books by Robert McCloskey like Time of Wonder and Blueberries for Sal. Those were my favorite.
Michelle- I love those books too. I also like Where the Wild Things Are. It was hard to chose just one - but I do love looking at the Moon, so that one won out. Glad you could stop by today!
Lovely post, Delsora. Thank you for the moon photos, too!
The moon is notoriously hard to photograph. There are some great pictures here.
Thanks Lynn and "Unknown" - I do love watching the moon and it is hard to resist taking photos. Someday, I need to get a good camera. These are taken with my phone. Glad you could both stop by.
Reading to children has got to be one of my favorite actibities! Thank you for reminding me with your post.
Such a beautiful post, Delsora. Reading to my boys was the highlight of my days, even if it was Fox in Sox for the umpteenth time LOL. They had many books they enjoyed reading again and again, finding comfort in the known.
Judi tried to comment and it wouldn't go through - she was having a bad day. So I volunteered to put her comment up - thanks, Judi for trying. Hope today is better.
From Judi:
I couldn't figure out how to comment on your blog. But it was great to remember Goodnight Moon. I actually do still have the copy I read to my kids. It's tattered, but very very special. And I agree. These are the times to read books that cheer us up.
Sarah - I agree - reading to children and now grandchildren is THE BEST!
Luanna - :-) reading and reading the same book. I remember when my grandson - around 3 - sat down to read one of the Curious George books. I think it was 50 plus pages. He "read and read" out loud and got every word right. Thing is he didn't know how to read. He had heard it so many times, he had it memorized. Me, the reader who read it to him dozens of times, could not have remembered by heart even the first page of several lines. Obviously he is super smart, unlike his Grammy :-)
Love the post, Delsora. And the moon pics are glorious. I can't believe you captured them with your phone. Reading was one of the most important activities in my family, as was music. My father used to quote poetry to us at night as well.
Thanks, Peggy - the new phone camera does a pretty good job with night photos. When I was in 9th grade when my parents bought a house that had a library that stretched across the front of the house on the 2nd floor. It had a huge fireplace and bookshelves that went up to 12 foot ceilings on either end. The sellers left their entire book collection of old book sets by Eliot George and Fitzgerald, etc. Amazing!
What I have so enjoyed in reading all these blog posts about favorite children's books is learning about so many children's books I never read. Goodnight Moon is one of them.
I suspect it is because my parents didn't read to us. By the time I learned to read I wasn't interested in picture books. I wanted substantive stories. However, after checking with our sons and their children, it seems that Goodnight Moon is something they've read to their children early on. Like many picture books, it's wonderful to help children identify things and "read along" by pointing them out.
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