Margaret Wise Brown facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Margaret Wise Brown
Margaret Wise Brown by Consuelo Kanaga Brooklyn Museum
Born	May 23, 1910 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	November 13, 1952(1952-11-13) (aged 42) Nice, France
Pen name	Timothy Hay Golden MacDonald Juniper Sage (with Edith Thacher Hurd)
Occupation	Writer, editor
Nationality	American
Education	Dana Hall School, 1928
Alma mater	Hollins College, 1932
Genre	Children's literature
Notable works	Goodnight Moon The Runaway Bunny The Color Kittens
Partner	Blanche Oelrichs James Stillman 'Pebble' Rockefeller Jr.

Margaret Wise Brown (born May 23, 1910 – died November 13, 1952) was a famous American writer. She wrote many popular children's books, like Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. Both of these classic books were illustrated by Clement Hurd. People often called her "the laureate of the nursery" because she was so good at writing for young children.

Early Life and Education

Margaret Wise Brown was born in Brooklyn, New York. She was the middle child of three. When she was young, she lived in the Greenpoint area of Brooklyn.

In 1923, Margaret went to a boarding school in Lausanne, Switzerland. Later, in 1926, she attended Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Massachusetts. She was very good at sports there. After finishing school in 1928, she went to Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia. She graduated in 1932 with a degree in English.

Margaret loved beagling (hunting with beagles) her whole life. She was known for being able to keep up with the dogs on foot!

Becoming a Children's Author

After college, Margaret worked as a teacher and also studied art. She started writing books for children while working at the Bank Street College of Education in New York City. This school had new ideas about teaching children. They believed in focusing on the "here and now" and the real world. This idea greatly influenced Margaret's writing. She was also inspired by the poet Gertrude Stein.

Margaret's first children's book, When the Wind Blew, was published in 1937. A publisher named W. R. Scott was impressed by her writing style. He hired her as his first editor in 1938. As an editor, Margaret helped publish many books, including her own Noisy Book series.

She also invited other famous writers to create children's books. Her hero, Gertrude Stein, wrote a book called The World is Round. This book was illustrated by Clement Hurd. Margaret and Clement Hurd later worked together on two of her most famous books: The Runaway Bunny and Goodnight Moon.

Other Books and Pseudonyms

Margaret Wise Brown wrote many books under different names. From 1944 to 1946, she used the name "Golden MacDonald" for three picture books. These books were illustrated by Leonard Weisgard. One of their books, The Little Island, even won an award in 1947!

She also wrote The Little Fisherman (1945) and Little Fur Family (1946). In the early 1950s, she wrote several books for the popular Little Golden Books series. These included The Color Kittens, Mister Dog, and Scuppers The Sailor Dog.

Later Life and Legacy

Margaret Wise Brown wrote over one hundred books during her life. She passed away in 1952 at the age of 42. This happened suddenly after a surgery.

Margaret left the money from many of her books, including Goodnight Moon, to a neighbor's son named Albert Clarke. He was nine years old when she died.

After her death, over 70 of her stories had not yet been published. Her sister kept them safe for many years. In 1991, a biographer named Amy Gary found these stories. She worked to get them published.

Many of Margaret's books have been re-released with new pictures. Many others are still printed with their original illustrations. Her books have been translated into many languages around the world.

Selected Works

Big Red Barn (reissue), illustrated by Felicia Bond

Margaret Wise Brown worked with four main publishers: Harper & Brothers, W. R. Scott, Doubleday, and Little Golden Books. The books she wrote for Doubleday were published under the name "Golden MacDonald."

• When the Wind Blew, illustrated by Rosalie Slocum (1937)
• Bumble Bugs and Elephants: a Big and Little Book, illustrated by Clement Hurd (1938)
• The Little Fireman, illustrated by Esphyr Slobodkina (1938)
• Noisy Book series (illustrated by Leonard Weisgard):
  • The Noisy Book (1939)
  • The Country Noisy Book (1940)
  • The Seashore Noisy Book (1941)
  • The Indoor Noisy Book (1942)
  • The Noisy Bird Book (1943)
  • The Winter Noisy Book (1947)
  • The Quiet Noisy Book (1950)
  • The Summer Noisy Book (1951)
• Baby Animals, illustrated by Mary Cameron (1941)
• The Runaway Bunny, illustrated by Clement Hurd (1942)
• Don't Frighten the Lion, illustrated by H. A. Rey (1942)
• Big Dog, Little Dog, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (1943) ‡
• Red Light Green Light, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (1944) ‡
• A Child's Good Night Book, illustrated by Jean Charlot (1944)
• They All Saw It, illustrated by Ylla (1944)
• The Little Fisherman, illustrated by Dahlov Ipcar (1945)
• Little Lost Lamb, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (1945) ‡
• The Little Island, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (1946) ‡
• Little Fur Family, illustrated by Garth Williams (1946)
• The Man in the Manhole and the Fix-It Men, written with Edith Thacher Hurd as "Juniper Sage", illustrated by Bill Ballantine (1946)
• Goodnight Moon, illustrated by Clement Hurd (1947)
• The Golden Sleepy Book, illustrated by Garth Williams (1948)
• The Golden Egg Book, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (1947)
• The Sleepy Little Lion, illustrated by Ylla (1947)
• The Important Book, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (1949)
• The Little Cowboy, illustrated by Esphyr Slobodkina (1948)
• The Little Farmer, illustrated by Esphyr Slobodkina (1948)
• Wait till the Moon is Full, illustrated by Garth Williams (1948)
• The Color Kittens, illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen (1949)
• Two Little Miners, with Edith Thacher Hurd, illustrated by Richard Scarry (1949)
• My World, illustrated by Clement Hurd (1949)
• O Said the Squirrel, illustrated by Ylla (1950)
• Fox Eyes, illustrated by Garth Williams (1951)
• The Duck, illustrated by Ylla (1952)
• Mister Dog: The Dog Who Belonged to Himself, illustrated by Garth Williams (1952)
• Doctor Squash, The Doll Doctor, illustrated by David Hitch (1952)

Books Published After Her Death

• Little Frightened Tiger, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (1953) ‡
• Scuppers The Sailor Dog, illustrated by Garth Williams (1953)
• Big Red Barn, illustrated by Rosella Hartman (1956)
• The Little Brass Band, illustrated by Clement Hurd (1955)
• Three Little Animals, illustrated by Garth Williams (1956)
• Home for a Bunny, illustrated by Garth Williams (1956)
• Whistle for the Train, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (1956) ‡
• The Dead Bird, illustrated by Remy Charlip (1958)
• Under the Sun and the Moon and Other Poems, illustrated by Tom Leonard (1993)
• Sleepy ABC, illustrated by Esphyr Slobodkina (1994)
• Another Important Book, illustrated by Christopher Raschka (1999)
• Bunny's Noisy Book, illustrated by Lisa McCue (2000)
• The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin, illustrated by Richard Egielski (2003)
• The Fathers are coming home, illustrated by Stephen Savage (2010)
• Count to 10 with a mouse, illustrated by Kirsten Richards (2012)
• Goodnight Little One, illustrated by Rebecca Elliott (2012)
• Away in my Airplane, illustrated by Henry Fisher (2013)
• The Diggers, illustrated by Antoine Corbineau (2013)
• Sleep Tight, Sleepy Bears, illustrated by Julie Clay (2013)
• One More Rabbit, illustrated by Emma Levey (2014)
• The Noon Balloon, illustrated by Lorena Alvarez (2014)
• Goodnight Songs, multiple illustrators (2014)
• Goodnight Songs: a Celebration of the Seasons (2014)
• Love Song of the Little Bear, illustrated by Katy Hudson (2015)
• The Find It Book, illustrated by Lisa Sheehan (2015)
• Goodnight Little One, illustrated by Rebecca Elliot (2016)
• Good Day, Good Night, illustrated by Loren Long (2017)
• Be Brave, Little Tiger!, illustrated by Jeane Claude (2017)
• The Happy Little Rabbit, illustrated by Emma Levey (2017)

‡ Published as by "Golden MacDonald."