Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened By the Moon

by Leonard S. Marcus

Margaret Wise Brown, the author of Goodnight Moon and dozens of other children's classics, all but invented the picture book as we know it today. Combining poetic instinct with a profound empathy for small children, she knew of a child's need for security, love, and a sense of being at home in the worldand she brought that unique tenderness to the page. Yet these were comforts that eluded her. Brown's youthful presence and professional success as an editor, bestselling author, and self-styled impresario masked an insecurity that left her restless and vulnerable. In this moving biography, Marcus portrays Brown's complex character and her tragic, seesaw life. Her literary achievement and groundbreaking discoveries about small children's emotional needs were offset by tormented romances including a passionate relationship with Michael Strange, the celebrity socialite once married to John Barrymore.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Biography Memoir, Memoir, American History, American

337 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Leonard S. Marcus is one of the world's leading writers about children's books and their illustrations. His many books include The Wand in the Word: Conversations with Writers of Fantasy; Funny Business: Conversations with Writers of Comedy; Dear Genius; and others. His essays, interviews, and reviews appear in the New York Times Book Review, among other publications. Leonard S. Marcus lives in Brooklyn.

Reviews

[Carmen Slaughter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was led to this book because I recently finished Goodnight June. As a former children's librarian and a mother I have always loved Margaret Wise Brown as an author but now I have a greater appreciation for her as a woman and a pioneer of children's literature. Such a riveting read!

[Manybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly and truly, even though I in fact did end up just quickly and cursively skimming over and through Leonard S. Marcus' 1992 Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon (as my copy was due back at the library and I had not even started), yes indeed, Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon has been very much, has been considerably more to my reading tastes than the only other geared towards adult readers biography of Margaret Wise Brown I have encountered, namely Amy Gary’s 2017 In the Great Green Room: The Brilliant and Bold Life of Margaret Wise Brown.

Because indeed, I am first and foremost if not even only interested in Margaret Wise Brown as an author and certainly NOT AT ALL in her love life (and that she might have been bisexual), and I thus definitely do majorly appreciate that unlike Amy Gary over-focussing in In the Great Green Room: The Brilliant and Bold Life of Margaret Wise Brown rather too often and too exclusively on Margaret Wise Brown's many and diverse romances and sadly not at all enough for me on her career as a writer, with Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon, yes and eureka, the exact opposite most fortunately and happily occurs, with Leonard S. Marcus of course mentioning that Margret Wise Brown's romantic pursuits were rather unconventional for the time (and indeed involved both men and women), but with the vast majority of Marcus' words, his writing in and for Awakened by the Moon: Margaret wise Brown delightfully revolving around children's literature and on Margaret Wise Brown development and career as a writer, as an author and totally gearing her work not only to children but specifically to younger children, to the so-called and aptly named picture book crowd.

So yes, because I personally could absolutely care less with whom Margaret Wise Brown had her dalliances, that Leonard S. Marcus does indeed realise with regard to Margaret Wise Brown that what is important and necessary knowledge about her life is both her career as an author and how she, how Margaret Wise Brown is even today such a huge and lasting influence on in particular how to pen interesting and engaging stories for the youngest readers and listeners, well, the pretty much and complete literary focus of Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon, and that Leonard S. Marcus also refrains from making author judgments and providing personal interpretations and analyses of Margaret Wise Brown as a person, this totally makes me smile and nod my head with appreciation and to also consider Margret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon as solidly four stars (but indeed, upped to five stars, since compared to Amy Gary's In the Great Green Room: The Brilliant and Bold Life of Margaret Wise Brown, in my opinion, Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon and Leonard S. Marcus as the author are most certainly worth more than four stars).

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful biography on one of the most recognized children's book authors today. I didn't know anything about her and was delighted to discover she and I are a lot alike. A kindred spirit, so to speak. Highly recommend.

My Rating: 5 stars

[CB · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book on the heels of "The Secret Life of the Lonely Doll," so it's hard not to compare the two.

Whereas Jean Nathan takes a sort of nostalgic, protective ownership of Dare Wright, Leonard S. Marcus treats Margaret Wise Brown from the standpoint of an academic. Curiously, I appreciate both approaches. The result in MWB: Awakened by the Moon is that this is as much a history of the American picture book as it is a biography of Brown.

What I'm taking away from the book is this.

You know from the get-go that MWB is going to die young. So, as I was reading, I found myself paying close attention to how she was spending her time. I got very anxious as she continued to (IMO) waste her time with Michael Strange (if Jean Nathan had been writing this biography, I imagine she would have expounded on the sensational nature of their relationship; Marcus leaves it a bit vague). MWB was such a charismatic, interesting, "mercurial" (Marcus's slightly overused word) person - in a different world, I think she and I could have been friends. I felt very close to her motivations and doubts as a writer - they were as comforting and familiar to me as the bowl of mush and the little old lady whispering "hush" must be to young children.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

In some ways, better than In the Great Green Room: The Brilliant and Bold Life of Margaret Wise Brown. This book provides more context of the children's publishing world and seems to be better in terms of annotations.

[Susann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent biography of Margaret Wise Brown, author of Goodnight Moon, Runaway Bunny, and somewhere around 100 other published works. (I don't have my book with me to check my facts.)

Marcus does his usual bang-up job at bringing his subject to life. I had no idea that MWB was so prolific and was especially drawn to her work at the Bank Street program and her collaborations with so many wonderful illustrators. Her long-term, dysfunctional love affair made me squirm for her, and her casual antisemitism made me groan, but I applaud Marcus for giving me such a detailed and complete portrait.

[Waller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hearing Leonard Marcus talk about MWB at the New York Public Library celebration of the 100th anniversary of her birth inspired me to take this down off the shelves, where it has been sitting for some 15 years, and finally read it. I was impressed to learn about all the rest of her activity beyond the well-known *Goodnight Moon*, *Runaway Bunny*, and Little Golden Books, and by the complex web of connections between MWB and just about everybody who was anybody in children's books in the 1930s and 40s.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

If have a specific interest in children's literature and the publishing world of the 20th century, you will love this biography of one of its key players. Margaret Wise Brown was a remarkably complex woman with both sparkling brilliance and debilitating insecurities. I'll never read Goodnight Moon again without thinking about the author with great respect and admiration.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed learning about how what we call "Children's Literature" came into being and how much of modern children writing all started with Margaret Wise Brown and " Good Night Moon".

[Chris J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book in my local used bookshop and, being of the mind that Miss Brown is my favorite picture book author, I laid down my $6 and read it. I found this to be a strangely-written biography. But, as one would imagine, the list of options for a biography on Margaret Wise Brown is abbreviated, so one must take what one can get. I guess I would not encourage anyone to read Marcus's book, even if you are an MWB fan. I will say, however, Marcus's explanations of how and why Brown's classics ("Goodnight Moon" and "Runaway Bunny," etc) are fantastic and worth reading. If you are familiar with her writing it will not surprise you that she was an interesting, likable artist, full of vitality, endearing quirks and flaws.

[Ann Woodbury Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Margaret Wise Brown was a fascinating woman, best known as the author of "Goodnight Moon" and other children's classics. This biography gives a detailed, thorough description of her life from childhood to her untimely death at the age of 42. I learned a lot. Unfortunately, Marcus is so meticulous with his research (50+ footnotes per chapter) and so exhaustive in covering every aspect of Brown's life (at least, all that are documented) that the book frequently becomes tiresome and plodding. Her personality and vivacity are only expressed in what people say about her; there's little attempt to develop her as a unique, captivating individual.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to say, I'm a little disappointed in this biography. It seemed more a summary of her career and less of a detailed insight into her personal life, which is what I was anticipating. This would be an excellent academic read for people interested in gaining knowledge of early to mid 20th-century juvenile literature; but honestly, I'm just not very impressed with the biographical information portrayed here.

[Tibby]

I read this book twice many years ago and was really captivated by Brown's life. She was an interesting woman. While she is best known for Goodnight, Moon, Brown wrote many many more children's books and was a pivotal author and editor in the golden era of picture books.

I re-read a few of the early chapters for a project I am working on, the ones that talk most about how Brown became involved with the movement to create better books for young children. She was attached to the Bank Street school in New York and was enrolled in a teacher training program. Through this she made connections to a variety of people including publishers and artists and other authors. It's fascinating look at how the children's book industry made a big leap in the 1940s and 1950s into books that were less fantasy, less cloying, and less didactic.

[LuAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! The combination of a fascinating subject, excellent writing and thorough research makes this a compelling biography. I always thought there was something special about Margaret Wise Brown’s books, and many of her editors agreed.
A good follow up to the author‘s Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children’s Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever, and Became an American Icon Along the Way. Appealing to anyone interested in the good biography, Margaret Wise Brown, or the stories behind many of her books.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this book four stars because it is thoroughly researched and detailed. I would give it less on current readability standards. We have come to expect a book to be simply written and its purpose to simply entertain. Sadly, that’s how most books on Goodreads are rated.
Read this book to gain an understanding of how children’s books got their amazing start in the last century. I wonder how many of the books mentioned have been discarded from library shelves.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot about MWB by reading this book. I knew of a couple of books she had written, but not that she was so prolific. As a teacher of her "target audience," I appreciated her connection with Bank Street College of Education and their philosophy about children's literature in the 40's. The book seemed well-researched, I would have liked to see more photos.

[Varda Epstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptionally interesting biography of the author of so many beloved children's books. I think I loved reading her books to my children best of all the books they owned. I know many of them by heart, having read them so often. Highly recommended biography.

[Beth Wienck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting.....I loved her books as a child and then read them to my children as well. This book gave insights into her life I wasn't expecting.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look at one of my favorite children's authors. Well written with tons of firsthand quotes from letters and diary entries (Brown's and others').

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

omg...a must read for anyone interested in the 20th century "naissance" of picture books. UP, just re read it and this intriguing woman's bio by Leonard Marcus is a must for all or any of you interested in children's books as we know them now a coool history( and not that far ago)

[Colleen O'Neill Conlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Only House, Margaret Wise Brown's island getaway, is a couple miles or so through the woods from my own home. That little bit of "local connection" drew me to this book as much as her creativity and career.

This book is a bit on the academic side, perhaps a little dry in the telling, but quite thorough. There is a lot about the history of the Bank Street school and the Writer's Laboratory, pioneered by Brown's mentor, Lucy Mitchell. In that lab, Brown wrote her first children's book, and went on to have a prolific career. A running theme throughout was her lifelong desire to write "serious" books for adult readers. At times she is a keen advocate for excellence in young children's literature, while at other times she seems to diminish her talent, calling her works "baby books" (and hearing the same from others). How sad that she never knew the long, far reach of such iconic classics as Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny.

She was certainly an unconventional woman for her time, and I loved reading about her many travels (often alone), her pet flying squirrel, her crazy dog, her various homes, her antics, and her general joie de vivre. Her growing connection with Maine, from her first visit in 1938 to when she purchased and named The Only House, was particularly interesting to learn about. She partnered artistically with many of that era's great illustrators, but didn't find a satisfying romantic partnership until she was in her 40s, just before her death. Another very sad thing.

The last moment of her life is pure MWB, and heartbreaking.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally finished! Margaret Wise Brown led an interesting and all-too-short life, dying of a brain aneurysm at the age of 42. But before she died, she wrote many, many, many books. A bunch of them were published during her life, several shortly after her death, and then more many years later. I looked in vain in this book for information about my second-favorite MWB book, "The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin" (my favorite being, of course, "Goodnight Moon"). The I realized that the book I was reading was published in 1992, and "The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin" wasn't published until 2003, 51 years after the author's death.
I hadn't realized that MWB had a long-time relationship with the poet/minor celebrity Michael Strange, one of the ex-wives of actor John Barrymore. Or that she had so much to do with shaping the future of picture books, both as an editor of these books and a writer. Her books, written in what was called the "here-and-now" vein (as opposed to a fantasy or fairy-tale vein) were not appreciated by the dreaded Anne Carroll Moore (the head Children's Librarian at the New York Public library). My quibble with the book is that in some cases I thought the author went into a bit more detail than needed, down to what she ate and drank at a certain dinner, then left some things unexplained - he mentions her parent's marital breakdown and how much it affected her, but doesn't really explain what happened. Brown seems not to have had any relationship with either parent in her adulthood. No letters are quoted, no trips are made to see them, or they to see her.

[Maria Menozzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I read this essay in the NYT a few months ago by Aimee Bender, a novelist and author who I read, and she revisited the simple brilliance of "Goodnight Moon." I remembered that I had read a biography of Marg Wise Brown years ago but the essay piqued my interest again in Brown's life and works. This is a readable, interesting and straightforward telling of Brown's life and works. Brown was prolific in her work and Marcus writes that she penned her picture book prose on the back of envelopes. Ironically, enough there was no "magic" in the making of her most famous picture book. As one who read to find out if there was a great Oz in back of the curtain, Brown's art was just about ideas, collaboration, follow-through, and a shrewd personality that knew how to fight for what she wanted. Honestly, I'm not sure I even liked this woman after reading this book again. What I did learn was that for whatever you want to do, you can learn as you go along. As long as you have a belief in yourself, and the ability to put ideas into concrete form, you can find a niche in the world. I do a disservice to Brown's life and work if I also do not mention that she was part of the induction of picture books into children's literature which didn't exist in the form we know today. Brown also championed books for children that spoke to different socio-economic classes, races, cultures and other diverse subject matter for not just publication but for libraries to put on their shelves.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read 'Goodnight Moon' as a child. I think I must have been one of the only ones. The picture book, which was published in 1947, is one of the bestselling and most beloved books in American publishing history. Reading it now, I see why. It's a haunting, lovely, elegiac piece of writing. A perfect goodnight poem.

Its author was equally haunting and lovely. And surprising and mercurial and incredibly prolific. By the time she died, Margaret Wise Brown had authored more than 100 books for very young children. They're not all as good as 'Goodnight Moon' and 'Runaway Bunny,' her other most popular book. But many of them draw near to that perfect pitch. This account of how Brown came to write and how she lived her life is fascinating and inspiring and, ultimately, very sad. She was more chic and more mercurial than you think when you think of a children's picture book author. At least, until you read this book and let slip forever of any such preconceptions that might be knocking around in your brain.

[Stephanie Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly fantastic - a woman I have admired all my life and whose work inspired me to write for children myself...if I had time for just one quote by Margaret, it would be this one; which embodies all I know about children, children's needs and what books can provide for them: “In this modern world where activity is stressed almost to the point of mania, quietness as a childhood need is too often overlooked. Yet a child's need for quietness is the same today as it has always been--it may even be greater--for quietness is an essential part of all awareness. In quiet times and sleepy times a child can dwell in thoughts of his own, and in songs and stories of his own.” —MWB

[erl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I got a real sense of who this wonderful writer was as a human being, and how she came to her unique approach to children's literature. Of particular interest were her years at the Bank Street College of Education and her close collaborations with her illustrators. Her books are deceptively simple, but every tiny detail has been painstakingly thought out. Hers was a life tragic in many ways, but she has left a beautiful, lasting legacy far greater than any hurtful act imposed upon her by the jealous, ill-willed people in her life.

[Jenny Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of those books that when you are done has made you think less of the subject. Since my children loved Brown's books when they were little, The Runaway Bunny and Goodnight Moon, I was saddened to find that the author wasn't someone I had all that much respect for.

The book itself sheds a lot of light on the history of children's books in the 20th century and is worth reading for that.

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read which details the life of a prolific author as well as the rise of children's books. I found the section of the development of Bank Street school and the early philosophies of what was appropriate subject matter for children absolutely fascinating. I also enjoyed the launch of Golden Books as I certainly owned my share of those books (when they sold for 25 cents)! Definitely of interest for those who enjoy reading to their children, like history, biography, NYC and Maine!

[Julie Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margaret Wise Brown, awakened by the moon by Leonard S. Marcus
Story about Margaret, her life, her relatives and what interests they had while she grew up.
Different places she visited and lived and books they read and games they played.
Moves onto her adult life also and her book writing. Like stories she's written and the way she uses furry animals.
Loved hearing of her island house and all the struggles with her books, makes you appreciate them a lot more.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biography of the author of "Goodnight Moon," the bedtime picture book classic. I loved reading this as a follow-up to the same author's book "Minders of Make Believe." MWB lived 1910-1952 and although she died young, she was a major influence in the development of literature for preschool children. She was an unconventional, complex personality.