For kids to read
Goodnight Moon Book Review | Common Sense Media
Skip to main contentBook review by Mary Dixon Weidler, Common Sense Media
Common Sense says
age 2+
Ultimate going-to-bed book has stood the test of time.
Margaret Wise Brown Picture Book 1947
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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd, has been a favorite of kids and parents for generations since it was originally published in 1947. Pediatricians recommend that a child have a bedtime routine, something familiar and soothing that indicates the end of the play day and time for rest, and Goodnight Moon takes the doctor's advice. The pace, rhythm, and repetition as the little bunny says goodnight to all the things in his house and beyond work to gently lull kids off to dreamland.
Community Reviews
sanba06c Adult
July 1, 2021
age 2+
Classic book for goodnight ritual!
I've reading this book for my son since he was 2 years old.
He still enjoys it before bedtime.
This title has:
Educational value
Mischa A. Adult
May 29, 2021
age 2+
What's the Story?
As a fire crackles in the fireplace and the moon rises in a wintry night sky outside the windows of his bedroom, a young rabbit settles down for the night. An old lady rabbit rocks quietly in a nearby chair knitting, mittens dry in front of the fire, two kittens tumble on the carpet, and a mouse peeks out. The room grows gradually dimmer as the rabbit says goodnight to each object in his room and outside the window, then falls asleep at last.
Is It Any Good?
The rhythm is slow and calming, the rhymes are soft, the ritual of bidding good night to the familiar objects in the room is appealing. For more than 65 years this has been the ultimate going-to-bed book, the first book parents share with their children, the book kids ask for again and again, and the one parents don't mind reading again and again.
It's easy to see why -- author Margaret Wise Brown and illustrator Clement Hurd do everything right. The pictures are full of interesting details -- the paintings hanging on the wall in bunny's room are of scenes from another Brown-Hurd collaboration,
The Runaway Bunny.
The book is smaller than many picture books, just the right size for young hands to hold. The colors are simple and vivid, gradually getting dimmer in the room as the night sky gets brighter outside the window.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about nighttime rituals. Parents and children can incorporate goodnight wishes to favorite objects.
Book Details
- Author: Margaret Wise Brown
- Illustrator: Clement Hurd
- Genre: Picture Book
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
- Publication date: September 3, 1947
- Number of pages: 32
- Last updated: March 4, 2020
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Book Review
Skip to main contentBook review by Maria Strom, Common Sense Media
Common Sense says
age 2+
Funny, colorful look at caterpillar's development.
Eric Carle Picture Book 1970
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Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Rate book
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media.
That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a beloved kids' classic that babies and toddlers adore. It teaches kids the days of the week and what food the caterpillar eats, and even offers a little counting lesson. It even carries a subtle message that healthy foods -- like a leaf -- are better for you, while eating too much sugary food could give you a stomachache like the caterpillar gets. Kids love the colorful pictures and the counting game as the foods are listed in sets (one apple, two pears, etc., up to five oranges). They delight in turning the flaps and poking their fingers through the holes the ever-munching caterpillar has left behind. The Very Hungry Caterpillar also lets readers identify different fruits and other foods, and match them with their corresponding colors in Carle's signature multimedia collage illustrations.
Community Reviews
Nalanie1987 Adult
September 21, 2021
age 2+
Educational value
I highly recommend this book to all the parents and early educators to read this book at less once to your child. I promise you will get your child attention for this book. I am a mother of three children and I work in a pre-school and from my personal experience the children love this book
Mischa A. Adult
May 29, 2021
age 2+
What's the Story?
As the newborn caterpillar snacks through the pages (leaving behind a hole to stick a little finger through), he gets bigger and fatter, and then turns into a lovely butterfly with wings the color of Swiss cheese, oranges, and cherry pie! Eric Carle brings humor to the development of THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR, one of the first science miracles a child learns.
Is It Any Good?
Eric Carle takes the concept of metamorphosis and presents it in a fun, colorful way that young children can understand. He draws his audience in with an adorable caterpillar that eats everything, including cupcakes and lollipops. What kid can't relate to the caterpillar's plight: indulging in favorite foods and getting a stomachache?
Carle's unique mixed-media collages burst from the pages with broad brushstrokes and bright colors. The vivid butterfly spans two pages: Purple, blue, red, green, and yellow make up his richly textured wings. The caterpillar's friendly expression adds to the book's overall warmth and charm. A counting lesson is also included, as the foods are presented in number sets (one apple, two pears ... up to five oranges). The holes in the foods that the caterpillar has munched on draw little fingers into them, adding another kid-appealing dimension to this well-thought-out book.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about The Very Hungry Caterpillar's humongous appetite and his big change.
Why does the caterpillar need to eat so much? If you were that hungry, what kind of food would you want to eat lots of?Did you know that caterpillars turn into butterflies? Have you ever seen a caterpillar or a butterfly in a garden or park?
Which picture in the book is your favorite? Which food in the story do you like to eat?
Book Details
- Author: Eric Carle
- Illustrator: Eric Carle
- Genre: Picture Book
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Penguin Group
- Publication date: January 1, 1970
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 2 - 4
- Number of pages: 30
- Last updated: August 2, 2021
Our Editors Recommend
-
Love from the Very Hungry Caterpillar
Bright collage art conveys sweet message of love.
age 3+
-
The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse
Bold, beautiful book is sure to fire up kids’ creativity.
age 3+
-
Fancy Nancy: Bonjour, Butterfly
Butterflies and grandparents can be fancy too.
age 4+
For kids who love picture books and counting games
- Picture Books
- Counting Apps, Games, and Websites
- See all recommended book lists
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate
Fairy tales for children aged 5
Fairy tales for children aged 5 — a selection of works that will make the kid want to return to adults every evening for a new story from the wonderful world of fairy tales.
At the age of 5, the child still clearly divides the world into good and bad. He wants to listen to something that strikes the imagination with the brightness of the plot and images. Children at the age of 5 expect that after all the adventures of the positive heroes, victory awaits, and the villains - punishment. Fairy tales for children aged 5 teach young listeners compassion and the ability to distinguish good from evil.
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Samuel Marshakpro Santa Morozadl girl -day children 5 years of flying children 9 years of guess of children 11 years of fly 12 years old classes of 4th grade children's saddles of the senior group of the senior group 9,0003 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9 PerroForeign writersAbout a catFor children 5 years oldFor children 6 years oldFor children 7 years oldAbout friendshipFor schoolchildrenFor 2nd gradeFor 3rd gradeFor kindergartenFor preparatory group
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Vitaliy Biandlya children 4 years of flying 5 flyer -cheaty sideline preparatory group
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Poems of Chukovsky Veckhdly Children 2 years of children 5 years of Chukovsky -commissioning group
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Brothers of the children of children at night years For children 5 years About friendship For schoolchildren For grade 2 For kindergarten For middle group
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Poems by Chukovsky Pot some children 4 years of fly 5 years of flying children 6 flyor -mock -mocking mocking kindergarten of the middle group of the middle group of the older group
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Poems of Chukovsky Stealskiy Children of Children 6th Vorornye Chukovsky Saddlya of the Middle Group
9000 9000 Rossiyolsholsholsh. -
Nikolai NosovFunny StoriesStories for children 3 years oldStories for children 4 years oldStories for children 5 years oldStories for children 6 years oldFor children 3 years oldFor children 4 years oldFor children 5 years oldFor children 6 years oldFor kindergartenFor the middle group for children 5 years old Stories for children 6 years old About a mouse For children 4 years old For children 5 years old For children 6 years old0003
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Mikhail ZoshchenkoStories for children 5 years oldStories for children 6 years oldStories for children 7 years oldStories for children 8 years oldStories for children 9 years oldStories for children 10-11 years oldFor children 5 years oldFor children 6 years oldFor children 7 years oldAbout boysInstructive stories
- Russian folk tales
nightMagicalFor children 5 years oldFor children 6 years oldFor kidsTolstoy - Russian folkAbout IvanAbout brothersAbout the old womanFor schoolchildrenFor grade 1For grade 2For grade 3For kindergartenFor middle group
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Mikhail ZoshchenkoStories for children 6 years oldStories for children 7 years oldStories for children 8 years oldFor children 5 years oldFor children 6 years oldFor children 7 years oldEducationalAbout boysInstructive stories children 5 years old For children 6 years old For children 7 years old For kindergarten For the senior group
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Chukovsky's poems In verse For children 2 years old For children 4 years old For children 5 years old Korney Chukovsky For schoolchildren For grade 1 Funny For the middle group
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About dinosaur-time for children 3 years of flying 4 years of 4 years of children 5 years old 5 years old
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Russian folk-haired children 5 Letro are Babu-Yagu
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Nikolai Nosov-Excessions for children of 6 years of years for children 7 years of gunsit years For children 5 years old For children 6 years old For children 7 years old About boys Instructive stories
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Maxim Gorky About fish For children 5 years old For children 6 years old For children 7 years old
children 7 years old For children 10 years old For children 11 years old About good and evil About Ivan About brothers About grandmother For schoolchildren For grade 2 For grade 3 Read more
Read the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood online
The fairy tale of Charles Perrault Little Red Riding Hood is one of the undoubted leaders of fairy tale characters all over the world.
The story that happened to the girl is short, but it teaches a lot. The love for Grandmother, fearlessness, kindness of the Riding Hood is put at the ready of the evil of the wolf, who lives alone in the dark forest. The fairy tale is perfect for reading at night, many parents choose this fairy tale as the first fairy tale for their child.
Once upon a time in a village there was a girl of unprecedented beauty: her mother loved her without memory, and her grandmother even more.
Once a grandmother sewed a red hat for her beloved granddaughter, and the girl liked it so much that she did not want to take it off. She went everywhere in her cap, and therefore they began to call her Little Red Riding Hood.
Once a mother has baked pies and says to her daughter:
— Go and visit your grandmother, she is not well. Yes, take her pies and a pot of butter. Look only in the forest, do not stop and do not talk to anyone.
Little Red Riding Hood was an obedient girl, she immediately packed up and went to her grandmother, who lived in another village.
She is walking along a forest path and then a wolf meets her. The wolf wanted to eat it, but was afraid, because the sound of woodcutters was heard nearby. So he asks:
— Where are you going, Little Red Riding Hood?
The poor girl forgot that it is dangerous to stop in the forest and talk to wolves, and answers him:
— I am going to my grandmother; I bring her pies and a pot of butter.
— Does your grandmother live far away? the wolf asks.
- Very far away! - answers Little Red Riding Hood: - over there behind that mill that can be seen at the edge of the forest; and there will be the first house as you enter the village.
“You know,” the wolf says to her, “I’ll go and visit your grandmother.” - I will go this way, and you go on that one: let's see which of us will reach faster.
And the wolf rushed with all his might to run along the shortest road, and the girl wandered slowly along the longest. Along the way, she collected bouquets and sang songs.
The wolf ran first to the grandmother's house. Knocked:
- Knock, knock.
Who is there?
- It's me, your granddaughter, Little Red Riding Hood, - answered the wolf in a thin voice: - I brought you pies and a pot of butter.
Grandmother was lying in bed because she was a little unwell, and shouted from there:
— Pull the rope, the door will open by itself.
The wolf pulled the rope, the door opened. He rushed at the old woman and swallowed her at once, because he had not eaten anything for more than three days.
Then he locked the door, lay down in his grandmother's bed and began to wait for Little Red Riding Hood, who after a while reached her grandmother's house and knocked:
— Knock, knock.
Who is there?
Hearing the rough voice, Little Red Riding Hood was frightened at first, but thinking that apparently her grandmother's voice was hoarse due to illness, she answered:
— It's me, your granddaughter, Little Red Riding Hood, who brought you pies and a pot of butter.
The wolf called as loud as he could:
- Pull the string, the door will open by itself.
Little Red Riding Hood pulled the string, the door opened. When the girl came in, the wolf wrapped himself tightly in a blanket so that she would not recognize him, and said:
- Put somewhere a pie and a pot of butter, and go lie down with me, rest after the journey.
Little Red Riding Hood lay down next to her and asked:
— Grandmother, grandmother, why do you have such big hands?
— This, granddaughter, to hug you tighter.
— Grandmother, grandmother, why do you have such big ears?
— This, granddaughter, to hear you better.
— Grandmother, grandmother, why do you have such big eyes?
— This, granddaughter, to see you better.
— Grandmother, grandmother, why do you have such big teeth?
— And this is to eat you!
And with these words, the evil wolf rushed at Little Red Riding Hood and swallowed her.
It is good that at that time woodcutters worked in the forest. They heard a noise and ran into the house, where they immediately rushed to the wolf. They freed Little Red Riding Hood and Grandmother. Both were whole and unharmed.
Little Red Riding Hood is one of the most popular fairy tales, not only among the fairy tales of Charles Perrault, but also among the fairy tales of all authors all over the world.
This fairy tale is included in the list of those that are read among the first children. A simple and seemingly uncomplicated story of a girl in a red cap, in fact, is a fairy tale with a deep meaning and psychological overtones.
The fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood is a story with morals and clear conclusions:
- You can’t do what your mother doesn’t tell you
- Don't talk to strangers
- Don't go astray
- Don't be too trusting
However, Little Red Riding Hood is doing bad things. At the first meeting with danger, with a wolf, she forgets all the instructions of her mother and begins to talk with the beast.
