TWO "GOODNIGHT BOOKS" FROM MARGARET WISE BROWN

Margaret Wise Brown
1910-1952

Today marks the birthday of Margaret Wise Brown, one of America's most prolific children's book authors of the Twentieth Century. She attempted to write most of her books from the "here and now" perspective of a child, rather than in the more popular style of the day: fairytale and fantasy.  Her books often included animals and everyday things that mattered to children.  Even though she died at the young age of 42, at the peak of her career she had over 100 books in print.  She chose her illustrators carefully.  They included Clement Hurd, Garth Williams, Felicia Bond, and Leonard Weisgard.

HER GOODNIGHT BOOKS...

She is probably best known for her timeless classic, GOODNIGHT MOON (1947), illustrated by Clement Hurd.  Who can forget the rhythmic text that begins:

In the great green room

There was a telephone 

And a red balloon

And a picture of --

The cow jumping over the moon!

The whole story takes place in one room, as the baby bunny bids a ritual "goodnight" to all the objects in his room.  Have you ever noticed these little details...

-the hands on the two clocks progress from 7 PM to 8:10 PM.
-the young mouse and kittens wander around the room. The mouse is present in all pages showing the room.
-the red balloon hanging over the bed disappears in several of the color plates, then reappears at the end.
-the room lighting grows progressively darker.
-the moon rises in the left-hand window.
-the socks disappear from the drying rack.
-the open book in the bookshelf is The Runaway Bunny.
-the book on the nightstand is Goodnight Moon.
-in the painting of the cow jumping over the moon, the mailbox in the right-hand side of the painting occasionally disappears.
-in the painting of the three bears, the painting hanging in the bears' room is a painting of a cow jumping over the moon.
-the painting of the fly-fishing bunny, which appears only in two color plates, appears to be black and white (or otherwise devoid of color). It is very similar to a picture in the book The Runaway Bunny.
-the number of books in the bookshelf changes.
-the pendulum of the bedside clock disappears in the final room scene
-the stripes on the bunny's shirt change
-in the last page the word bunny is gone off the brush

A new (though even older never-before-published!) "goodnight book" by Margaret Wise Brown is THE FATHERS ARE COMING HOME (2010), pictures by talented illustrator Stephen Savage.

It is nighttime and the fathers are coming home... 

This book is a perfect bedtime story, and would also be a great read for Father's Day.  The original manuscript was written in 1943, as a tribute to WWII fathers, but it was never published.  Though lost for years with many other of Brown's writings, it was finally published in 2010. The story is about fathers returning to their children at the day's end - birds, bugs, bunnies, fish - and finally, a sailor dad coming home from sea to his child.  The bold and colorful illustrations and simple, lyrical text make a sweet book for 2-5 year olds.

CELEBRATING DADS

With Father's Day coming up, I thought it would be nice to mention some fun books honoring all those Dads out there...and please let me know if you have a favorite to add to my list!

JUST LIKE DADDY, by Frank Asch (baby-preschool). I love Frank Asch's bear stories. His text and simple illustrations are always full of humor. In this story, the bear describes all the activities he does during the day that are just like his daddy's.

JUST ME AND MY DAD, by Mercer Mayer (from his Little Critter Series for ages 2-5). Critter and his dad go on a camping trip, filled with Critter's mistakes and good intentions.

PAPA, PLEASE GET THE MOON FOR ME, by Eric Carle (4-8) Bright illustrations and an imaginative story, with pages that pull out to reveal a huge ladder that Papa uses as he tries to get the moon. A great introduction to the monthly lunar cycle!

EVERY FRIDAY, by Dan Yacarino (4-8) A young boy and his father have a weekly breakfast at a local diner - and the walk to get there is half the fun! Bright illustrations have a retro 50's style, even though this book was published in 2007.

DADDY AND ME, by Karen Katz (baby-preschool) Your little reader can lift the flaps to help daddy find the tools he needs for his project.

DADDY HUGS 1 2 3, by Karen Katz (baby-preschool) Cuddle and count with baby as you read this cute book. (Also look for MOMMY HUGS).

DADDIES GIVE YOU HORSEY RIDES, by Abbie Levine; illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. (4-8) Fun picture book with animal daddies giving "horsey rides" and doing lots of other things to help their families.