
US #6002b
2025 Painting of Three Bears
- Part of a set of 8 stamps featuring illustrations from Goodnight Moon book
- The children’s classic was written in 1947
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Goodnight Moon
Value: 73¢ Firs... more
US #6002b
2025 Painting of Three Bears
- Part of a set of 8 stamps featuring illustrations from Goodnight Moon book
- The children’s classic was written in 1947
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Goodnight Moon
Value: 73¢ First-Class Mail (Forever
First Day of Issue: May 2, 2025
First Day City: North Kansas City, Missouri
Quantity Issued: 20,000,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset, Flexographic
Format: Pane of 16
Perforations: Die Cut
Why the stamp was issued: This stamp is part of a set of eight issued to honor the popular children’s book, Goodnight Moon, written by Margaret Wise Brown and published in 1947.
About the stamp design: The eight stamps in the set feature details from different pages of the book. This one shows a painting of three bears which hangs on the wall of the young rabbit’s nursery. Art director, Derry Noyes, used the artwork by illustrator Clement Hurd to design the pane of stamps.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue ceremony took place at The Rabbit hOle in North Kansas City, Missouri. The Rabbit hOle is a museum that focuses on American children’s literature. The stamps were dedicated in anticipation of Children’s Book Week (May 5-11).
Thacher Hurd, son of the book’s illustrator, was at the ceremony and read the book aloud to the audience.
About the Goodnight Moon set: For generations, Goodnight Moon has been a child’s final glimpse of the waking world before drifting into dreams. Simple yet poetic, its soothing words and familiar objects transform bedtime into something magical.
Each stamp captures an iconic image from the book, preserving in miniature the details that have made this book unforgettable. The quiet old lady saying hush, the bunny tucked snug into bed, the little house glowing with an inner light – every element is a thread in the rich tapestry of childhood memories. Even the smallest details, like a bowl of mush, remind us of the comfort found in routine. The picture of the cow leaping over the moon stands as a final reminder that the world of dreams knows no limits.
The Goodnight Moon stamps join a growing legacy of US stamps celebrating beloved children’s books. From Children’s Classics (1993) to The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (2021), these stamps honor the stories that shape young minds. They are a tribute to the books that lull us to sleep, teach us to read, and remain in our hearts long after childhood fades.
Like Goodnight Moon itself, these stamps will be cherished for years to come. They celebrate not just a book, but a universal experience such as the quiet moments before sleep, the warmth of home, and the stories that stay with us forever.
History the stamp represents: High on the wall of the great green room hangs a picture of three bears, sitting on chairs. They don’t move. They don’t speak. Their presence is undeniable, though. In a room filled with clocks, kittens, and a sleepy little bunny, these three bears quietly command attention.
Margaret Wise Brown knew what she was doing. With a single framed image, she invoked an entire world. Most readers recognize the trio as characters from Goldilocks and the Three Bears, one of the most enduring folk tales in the world. That simple picture on the wall taps into generations of storytelling. Children who may have never read the tale still sense something familiar about three bears, each with their own chair.
Clement Hurd’s illustration offers simplicity, just enough to spark recognition. Just the bears, quietly watching. They don’t interrupt the story of Goodnight Moon. However, like a memory tucked in the corner of the mind, they’re always there.
This stamp captures that quiet power. The bears in their chairs remind us how stories live on, even when they’re not being told. They represent the stories heard a hundred times, the tales that become part of the reader.
In the hush of the great green room, the three bears say nothing. But in their silence, they speak volumes.