The Important Thing About Margaret Wise Brown
by Mac Barnett, Illustrated by Sarah Jacoby
Balzer & Bray (May 21, 2019)
Nonfiction * Biography * Women Authors
Audience: Ages 7 to 10
Indiebound | WorldCat
Description from GoodReads:
A dazzling picture book biography of Margaret Wise Brown, the legendary author of Goodnight Moon, Runaway Bunny, and other children’s classics, that is as fearless and groundbreaking as the icon herself was—from award-winning, bestselling author Mac Barnett and rising star illustrator Sarah Jacoby
What is important about Margaret Wise Brown?
In 42 inspired pages, this biography by award-winning writer Mac Barnett vividly depicts one of the greatest children’s book creators who ever lived: Margaret Wise Brown, the author of Goodnight Moon, The Runaway Bunny, and The Little Fur Family. Illustrated with sumptuous art by rising star Sarah Jacoby, this is essential reading for book lovers of every age.
Quick thoughts about this book:
One of the things that fascinates me about writing is the choices or decisions that an author will make especially when writing a picture book. Recently, I got my hands on Mac Barnett’s picture book biography about Margaret Wise Brown. Barnett doesn’t typically write nonfiction, so, I was curious to see how he would tackle a biography about a woman who was certainly a free spirit and also someone who made an incredible contribution to the world of children’s literature.
In recent years, there have been a number of biographies about well known authors (Beatrix Potter, Jane Austen, Harper Lee to name just a few), and though as an adult I appreciated these biographies, I wondered if children had the same appreciation. This is where I think Barnett’s choices were exceptional. Most young children, even today, would be familiar with Margaret Wise Brown’s book GOODNIGHT MOON or the RUNAWAY BUNNY. This creates an automatic connection for young readers. Barnett’s choice to interact directly with his readers in a respectful, intelligent manner is another win. Another choice, which was actually multiple choices, were the decisions he made on what aspects of Wise Brown’s life to include in the book and how he contrasts her life with others in her world including New York Public Librarian, Anne Carroll Moore.
The text is powerful, and thoughtful and leaves both young and older readers with new insight into the life and writings of Margaret Wise Brown. I also need to say that Sarah Jacoby’s artwork pairs beautifully with Barnett’s words. Finally, though I can’t wait to share this book with young readers, I would love to see this shared with older students as a mentor text for writing. I can imagine the discussions that can arise from interaction with this book.
“The important thing about Margaret Wise Brown is that she wrote books.” - Mac Barnett
Check out the interview with Mac Barnett and Sarah Jacoby by Travis Jonkers (100 Scope Notes).
Mac Barnett reads THEY ALL SAW IT by Margaret Wise Brown:
Don’t forget to link up your nonfiction reviews…