Margaret Wise Brown was a highly prolific children's fiction author and editor, best known for her beloved books "The Runaway Bunny" and "Goodnight Moon". With a career spanning numerous books and stories, her work remains popular even today, over 70 years since her death.
Brown had a unique approach to children's literature, focusing on animals as main characters and incorporating rhythmic patterns into her stories. She believed in challenging young readers with more difficult vocabulary, interspersing harder words throughout her books to encourage critical thinking. Her writing process was equally interesting; she often jotted down story ideas or poems on scraps of paper and even claimed to dream up stories, writing them down upon waking before they slipped her mind.
In addition to her own writing, Margaret Wise Brown influenced the world of children's book illustrations. She encouraged artists to depict scenes from a child's perspective, once giving two puppies to an illustrator so they could study the breed for a book. This anecdote highlights her commitment to authenticity and her desire to see the world through children's eyes.
Margaret Wise Brown's life was tragically cut short when she died due to complications from surgery after a burst appendix while in France. However, her legacy lives on through her timeless stories, which continue to captivate and inspire young readers. Her friends remember her as a creative genius who brought excitement and joy to every room she entered. Despite her fame, Margaret saw herself simply as a writer of songs and nonsense, reflecting her humility and love for playful storytelling.