Sentimental 1947 Book Considered One of the 'Best Children's Books Ever' Was Banned for 25 Years for an Absurd Reason

Some book bans are for the most ridiculous reasons ever, and they can end up harmful. That was almost the case for one children's book published in 1947. Fortunately, now, this book is considered one of the "Best Children's Books Ever," but it almost wasn't the case.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is considered No. 6 on the list of "Best Children's Books Ever" by Goodreads users, and there are plenty of reasons why. It is one of the most sentimental books out there for younger readers, and it's this that led to a 25-year ban.

‘Goodnight Moon' Was Banned at the New York Public Library

From 1947 to 1972, so from the moment of publication, Goodnight Moon couldn't be found in the New York Public Library. This had nothing to do with the government or parents. It was Anne Carroll Moore's dislike of the book. The head children's librarian at the time thought the book was "unbearably sentimental," and she didn't believe that it offered any sort of educational value to children.

So, there was a "soft ban," which led to a delay in the initial success for the classic. Fortunately, it didn't stop if from becoming popular, but it could have been so much worse.

The banning didn't stop with Moore's library, either. So many librarians thought that she was important enough to listen to, and they decided to ban the children's story as well.

In fact, after she retired, she reportedly tore up a list her successor, Francis Sayers, made for the new books to enter the children's book shelves.

‘Goodnight Moon' Faced Another Potential Ban in the 2000s

After finally getting into the library shelves, there's no doubt that this classic became a favorite. However, it then faced another ban in the 2000s, and that one was thanks to illustrations that came from a time of the past.

Clement Hurd, the illustrator of the story, had a man smoking a cigarette on one of the pages. Rather than accept that this is a depiction of the past, many rallied to have the book banned because it might encourage children to smoke. HarperCollins and Hurd's son worked together to digitally change the image to remove the cigarette, which raises the question about history and the use of technology.

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This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 12:34 PM.