Object narration
The first mode of narration is barely narration at all. Rather, it offers a list of objects. This irony shows that a child's mind is learning to recognize many things in an environment that is ever new. Their appreciation for this environment is always growing and evolving as they learn and remember new data each day. Sleep is an important part of how that learning process happens, so learning is the first part of this good-night narrative.
A cow jumping over the moon
To a child, a cow jumping over the moon is a challenging concept to reconcile. This ironic symbol is difficult on purpose, because the child who appreciates the absurdity of it has carved a new space in their imagination for concepts that are difficult to understand. Ironically, the cow jumping over the moon is a symbol that is hard to get because it is actively symbolize concepts that are hard to accept or understand. This is a way of showing that learning difficult things can be silly and fun.
The sleepless moon
The moon doesn't go to sleep in the book, although perhaps in the narrator's imagination, it might. The moon is constant and unchanging though, which is a great irony. Although the child sleeps, slipping in and out of consciousness in a cycle, the moon's cycle is every constant. It is the point of view of the child that changes. The moon can be seen as a symbol for the ironic constancy of reality. Although adults take that for granted, a child must learn to trust that some things are stable and constant, and others are changing.
The sleeping narrator
The narrator falls asleep. This delightful irony is certainly clever story-telling, because after all, it would be more normal to say, something in the story sleeps, like a child or something. Instead, the book itself falls asleep, which has a powerful effect on the child, because it reinforces the truth that all humans need sleep! Even the parent or story-teller. The old lady knitting will sleep too.
Learning and irony
The book shows that learning can be an ironic process. Technically, this is obviously true, because anything that can be learned is concealed from the learner by dramatic irony. This is important because it shows that a child's mind is full of drama and wonder. Each new item learned is a new irony revealed, and eventually, the child will have a stable construct for what reality is like, but each learned thing is ironic upon its discovery. Then, later, it is less ironic and more easily taken-for-granted.
