Pandemic parody of `Goodnight Moon’ to be released in fall

NEW YORK — A popular online spoof of the children’s favourite “Goodnight Moon,” reworked for the coronavirus, will be published by Penguin Random House this fall.

The Penguin imprint Philomel Books announced Monday that “Good Morning Zoom,” written by Lindsay Rechler and illustrated by June Park, is scheduled for Oct. 6. Currently self-published, “Good Morning Zoom” takes Margaret Wise Brown’s beloved bedtime story and turns it into a narrative about Zoom, bread baking, home schooling and other familiar parts of life during the pandemic. The book’s fans include talk show host James Corden, who read from it on “The Late, Late Show.”

Rechler is a banking executive and mother of two who lives in Manhattan. Park is a graphic designer and illustrator who lives in Brooklyn. All author net proceeds will be donated to coronavirus relief charities.

“COVID-19 is a difficult topic, especially for young children,” Rechler said in a statement. “I wanted to tell my children a relatable story — a story that would help them become familiar with their new everyday lives and within that story, touch upon what was happening in the outside world. I thought a lot about the contrast between quarantining safely inside versus what was happening outside my window.”

The Associated Press