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movement in children's story telling. As one of the first books written about the daily experiences in a child's life, Goodnight Moon challenged the aloof fairy tales and fables that once reigned supreme in the land of children's literature.

Although initial sales during that first Christmas season peaked at 6,000 copies, they would latter bottom out at 1,500 a year. But as the baby boomers began to age, they had their own children. Driven by nostalgia, the sales of Goodnight Moon began to peak again. Fifty-five years after her death, Brown's Goodnight Moon sells over 600,000 copies a year. Her vision has spanned six decades and bridged the gap of three generations.

"My grandfather taught me to read out of Goodnight Moon and now I read it to my 13 month old every night" (Kristi from Azle, Texas).

To commemorate the anniversary, HarperCollins is releasing the first line extension of Goodnight Moona counting-book companion entitled Goodnight Moon 123. Clement Hurd's son, Thacher Hurd understands that "children intuitively count the familiar images embedded in Goodnight Moon" and follows through with that logic in this new book. Best known for his books Art Dog, Moma Don't Allow, and Moo Cow Kaboom!, Thacher believes both Brown and his father would approve.

Earlier this year, HarperCollins also teamed up with Johnson & Johnson to sponsor an amateur writing contest, in honor of Goodnight Moon's anniversary. Thousands of unpublished writers submitted manuscripts suitable for illustration. Could the next Margaret Wise Brown being lying in the stacks now under consideration?

One thing is certain, if a story can secure itself in the memory of one generation it will be passed on to the next. As Angela writes, "Goodnight Moon was one of [our] favorite books. When I got pregnant with my son, [my sister] immediately went out and bought a copy . . . it was the first book ever read to him". Thank you for the memories, and happy anniversary Goodnight Moon.

Learn more about this author, Tricia Ares.
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