The U.S. Postal Service will unveil its Goodnight Moon stamps at The Rabbit hOle in North Kansas City, MO, on May 2 as part of an event leading up to Children’s Book Week (May 5-11).
The Rabbit hOle is a new museum experience that celebrates and brings to life a century of American children’s literature, including Goodnight Moon, for visitors of all ages. This pane of Forever stamps honors the remarkable impact of Goodnight Moon by featuring scenes from the beloved best-selling picture book.
The first-day-of-issue event for the Goodnight Moon stamps is free and open to the public. News of the stamps is being shared with the hashtag #GoodnightMoonStamps.
The Goodnight Moon stamps (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in eight designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 16 stamps (Item 486200) will go on sale nationwide May 2, 2025.
Thacher Hurd, children's book creator and the son of Goodnight Moon illustrator Clement Hurd. He will be one of the special guests at the unveiling, sharing memories of his father and Goodnight Moon author Margaret Wise Brown, as well as reading the book aloud.
As favorite bedtime reading for more than 75 years, Goodnight Moon allows children to imagine themselves in the cozy bedroom of a young bunny, saying good night to everything they see. This quiet, lullaby-like book also encourages children to look around their own rooms and, together with their parents, improvise on the comforting ritual in any way they would like.
“In the great green room,” the beloved picture book begins, “There was a telephone / And a red balloon.” The lilting, hypnotic rhythm of the text by author Margaret Wise Brown (1910–1952) casts a tender spell over young listeners, reassuring them that all the familiar things of daily life will still be there in the morning. “Goodnight clocks / And goodnight socks,” the book continues. “Goodnight little house / And goodnight mouse.”
The illustrations created by Clement Hurd (1908–1988) alternate between panoramic views of the vibrantly colored bedroom and black-and-white close-ups of particular objects. At first brightly lit, the scene grows gradually darker, echoing slumber's slow descent.
Published by Harper & Brothers in 1947, Goodnight Moon began its remarkable rise in popularity in the 1950s, in large part due to word of mouth among parents. Today, it is among the bestselling children's books of all time.
Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS, designed the pane using Clement Hurd’s illustrations. As Forever stamps, the Goodnight Moon stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.