Dune is the talk of the town these days and for good reason. The upcoming Denis Villeneuve adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science-fiction classic has a flashy set of stars ( Timothée Chalamet! Oscar Isaac! Zendaya!), the first images look ravishing, and we’re all due for another space fantasy franchise now that the Skywalker Saga is over. Feed us Dune, please!

Another thing we’re really into right now? Healing content. The COVID-19 pandemic rages ever on, and we’re comforting ourselves with sweet content that softens the blow of reality. Which is why we love this take on the classic children’s story Goodnight Moon, that mashes up childhood nostalgia with the world of Dune.

Image from Julia Yu's Goodnight Dune.Julia Yu

Goodnight Dune was illustrated by Julia Yu back in 2011. According to The Mary Sue, she first released the cover art, which was so popular she decided to write and illustrate the entire story. Goodnight Dune is based on the aforementioned children’s book by Margaret Wise Brown, but brings in elements from Herbert’s universe, like sandworms, stillsuits, muad’Dibs, and even a Bene Gesserit bunny rabbit in a rocking chair.

Julia Yu

This version of the story isn’t entirely kid-friendly, as it features some severed gom jabbar hands and a reference to some wicked Bene Gesserit magic involving death. But it’s still perfectly delightful for fans of both Herbert’s Dune and Wise’s Goodnight Moon.

Julia Yu

You can see the full art, and downloaded the images, at GoodnightDune.com. You can also watch a read-through of the book below.


Speaking of Dune, we’re reading it right now on  Nerdist Book Club. Join Rachel Heine, Maude Garrett, and Hector Navarro every week for more discussion of Arakkis and spices and so on. Watch the first episode right here!

Featured Image: Julia Yu

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.