Brown, Margaret Wise (1910-1952), an American children’s writer, became famous for her picture books for preschool children. Brown has been credited as the first children’s writer to make writing texts for picture books a literary art. Critics have praised Brown for her sensitivity in capturing the emotional and intellectual interests of young children in her books. Her best work is noted for its simplicity and timeless appeal.
Brown wrote over 100 books from the mid-1930’s until her death in 1952 at the age of 42. She wrote as many as seven picture books in one year. Brown worked with some of the finest book illustrators of her time, notably Leonard Weisgard, Clement Hurd, and Garth Williams. One of her most popular books is Goodnight Moon (1947). In 1950, Brown wrote two fragments that seem to continue the story about a bunny preparing for bed. They were first published as Good Day, Good Night in 2017, after Brown’s death. Her other books include Noisy Book (1939), The Runaway Bunny (1942), Indoor Noisy Book (1942), The Little Island (published under the name Golden MacDonald, 1946), and a series about animals that began with Little Fur Family (1946). A collection of previously unpublished poems was issued as Goodnight Songs in 2014.
Brown was born on May 23, 1910, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. She graduated from Hollins College in 1932. She was a children’s book editor from 1938 to 1942. Brown died on Nov. 13, 1952, of an embolism (blockage of a blood vessel).
