Goodnight June

Goodnight June by Sarah Jio

Most of us have heard the beloved children’s story “Goodnight Moon” and the great green room by Margaret Wise Brown.  Sometimes you just ask yourself, what was the inspiration for that book?  In Margaret’s case, we will never know, as she died unexpectedly at the early age of 42.  But this is one person’s idea of what might have been that inspriation.

Ruby and Margaret were friends, and since they lived so far apart, they would write to each other.  They would write about the good times and the not-so-good times.  Ruby owned a small bookstore, and Margaret was an author of children’s books.

Ruby never married, so when she passed away, she left her bookstore to her niece, June.  June was a successful businesswoman in the banking industry in New York.  When she heard of her aunt’s death and that she was responsible for the bookstore, she thought she would take a few days off to take care of the bookstore and her aunt’s things.  Little did she know what she would find.

Not only did she find letters between Ruby and Margaret, she also found similarities between their lives and her own.  The small bookstore that had so many childhood memories was now hers to decide what to do with.  You’ll have to read it yourself to see if she sells it and goes back to her financial career, or keeps it open for more readers to enjoy.

Whether any or all parts of this are true or not, it is still a wonderful read.  Goodnight Moon is a part of most children’s lives, and what could be a better inspiration than a bookstore’s owner?

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