Brown, Margaret Wise

Brown, Margaret Wise,

1910–52, American children's book author, b. Brooklyn, N.Y., B.A Hollins College, 1932. Continuing her education at the Bureau of Educational Experiments (now the Bank Street College of Education), she became involved in progressive education and embraced the idea of encouraging children's interest in the world around them. After a period as an editor of children's books, she began writing her own stories (more than 100 books in all). Some of the most talented artists of the day illustrated her books: Clement Hurd did The Runaway Bunny (1942) and Goodnight Moon (1947); Leonard Weisgard, Red Light Green Light (1944), The Golden Egg Book (1947), and The Important Book (1949); Garth Williams, Little Fur Family (1946) and Home for a Bunny (1956); and Martin and Alice Provensen, The Color Kittens (1949).

Bibliography

See L. S. Marcus, Awakened by the Moon (1992); A. Gary, In the Great Green Room (2017).

Brown, Margaret Wise

(1910–52) author; born in New York City. She studied in Switzerland (1923–25) and Hollins College, Virginia (1928–32), worked for the Bureau of Educational Experiments (later Bank Street School) as a publisher, edited children's books for William R. Scott (1938–41), and divided her time between New York City and Vinal Haven, Maine. A gifted writer of many innovative books of verse and stories for children, notably Goodnight Moon (1947), she died suddenly in France after an operation for appendicitis.