Ɖ Gardịn vy on Gdnît Mūn: a clasic fr a rīzn
(Transcription of an editorial published in the Guardian on 13 October 2022)
Marġrit Wîz Brǎn md a pônt v liṣnñ t ćildṛn, n trayñ t si ɖ wrld az ɖe sw it. Ś hz bn rwordd bî decedz v loylti
Ʈrzde 13 Octobr 2022
Ɖ ćildṛn’z bc Gdnît Mūn, ẃć z 75 ɖs yir, hd a slo start in lîf, nt līst bcz it wz rjctd bî ɖ Ny Yorc lîbrrisistm fr biyñ snṭmntl n lacñ in an impruvñ moṛl. It hz nǎ sold mor ɖn 40m copiz n reğlrli apirz on lists v most popylr bcs t gv t yuñ ćildṛn. A siriz v picćrz śo a gret grīn rūm in ẃć a smōl rabit z in bed, woćt bî a grounup rabit in a rocñćer, ẃl ɖ capśnz inton gdnîts – “Gdnît berz / Gdnît ćerz / Gdnît citnz / N gdnît mitnz”. Sm adults stl fînd ɖm discnsrtñ, īvn crīpi (ispeṣ́li “Gdnît nbdi”).
Bt wn v ɖ bc’z mni strîcñ fīćrz z ɖ xtnt n scil wɖ ẃć it adresz nt adults bt smōl ćildṛn. Marġrit Wîz Brǎn, hu iniṣ́li trênd az a tīćr, studid undr ɖ rli-yirz paynir Lūsi Sprêg Mićl, hu argyd ɖt nt onli dd smōl ćildṛn xist in ɖ “hir n nǎ”, bt ɖt ẃt adults faund so fmiłr az t b inviẓbl (a bed, a rūm, a bol v muś) wz stl wundṛs. (N ɖ Mićl Hir n Nǎ Stori Bc cntenz têlz nt dsimilr t Gdnît Mūn.) Brǎn’z bc siz ẃt a ćîld wd si, n cer abt; ɖr z no plot.
Brǎn, hu rout mor ɖn 100 bcs, az wel az eḍtñ a ćildṛn’z bcs imprint, spent aurz studiyñ n rcordñ hǎ ćildṛn spouc n ʈt – in fact, Gdnît Mūn rīcriets an acćl gem ɖt ś n hr sistr pleid az ćildṛn. Ćildṛn wr, ś wns sd, hr bcs’ riyl oʈrz; ś wz jst “an ir n a pén”.
At ɖ sem tîm, ɖ 130 wrdz v txt r cerḟli wrct, holdñ, lîc ɖ moḍnists Brǎn admîrd, ecoz (t nrṣristoriz, fr instns, in ɖer rzolvd stets – berz sitñ on ćerz, citnz ri-ynîtd wɖ mitnz) n sutl sbvrśnz, ẃl ɖ rîmñpatn plez wɖ cntrastñ ifcts v fl n part-rîmz, srtnti n unpridictbiḷti.
Ɖ sem z tru v Clemnt Hrd’z picćrz. A Fauvist hu trênd undr Fernand Léger, Hrd wz a fōrunr v pop art hu olso iḷstretd a ćildṛn’z bc bî Grtrud Stein – anɖr b’livr in Mićl’z ʈiriz. Fr Gdnît Mūn, Hrd yzd a pálit v flat, larjli prîṃri culrz – inactñ ɖ we evriʈñ fr a ćîld z alîv n vivid n nt yt bacgrǎnd – olṭnetñ ɖm wɖ pejz v drīm-vińét blac n ẃît.
Clos atnśn z rwordd bî refṛnsz wɖn refṛnsz – t nrṣrirîms, t a prīvịs Brǎn/Hrd bc Ɖ Run’we Buni, t itslf (Gdnît Mūn on ɖ bedsîd tebl); a dol’z hǎs z lit fṛm wɖn, hintñ at wrldz wɖn wrldz, ẃl ɖ cloc muvz on in tîm fṛm pej t pej, untl ol ɖ lît z fṛm ɖ starz n mūn n dolhǎs, n ɖ buni z aslip.
Gdnît Mūn dz hv a moṛl ɖen, bt fr adults: d ćildṛn ɖ onr v acć̣li liṣnñ t ɖm, t hu ɖe riyli r az opozd t hu w ʈnc ɖe òt t b. Ɖ loñjevti n popylaṛti v ɖs rliist v picćr bcs z tsṭmnt ɖt ɖs z az importnt n unyźl nǎ az it evr wz.
