The Important Thing about Margaret Wise Brown

Margaret Wise Brown lived a dashing, colorful life and wrote more than 100 children's books before her untimely death at 42. In an era when fairy tales ruled, the here-and-now realism of titles such as Goodnight Moon was harshly judged. Barnett's confiding tone draws readers in ("Have you read this book? Do you know what I mean?"), then makes the case for Brown's work ("Every good book is at least a little bit strange"). Personifying the resistance to her books is powerful children's librarian Anne Carroll Moore, who refuses to purchase many of them for the New York Public Library ("truck," she calls them) and declines to invite her to a prestigious library bash--whereupon Brown, along with her editor Ursula Nordstrom, stages a whimsical rebellion on the institution's steps. Jacoby's richly colored illustrations shift between episodes from Brown's life and scenes of a librarian rabbit reading Brown's and Barnett's books (and this one) to young bunnies. Barnett yokes his story to Brown's work, playing with The Important Book's form to consider what might be momentous about the life of this extravagant, much-loved creator. As with the original, reactions will vary, but most readers can agree that "the important thing about Margaret Wise Brown is that she wrote books." Ages 4-8. (May)

Gr 1-5--Legendary New York Public librarian Anne Carroll Moore would have probably called this provocative biography "truck"--in other words, "the wrong kind of book." And while it is true that the book is unorthodox, one could argue that its subject is equally so. At the onset, readers learn that this picture book is longer than most--a deliberate 42 pages to document a life of 42 years--and that Brown grew up in a house in the woods with many pets including a dog, two squirrels, and 36 rabbits. When one of these rabbits died, she skinned it and wore its pelt around her neck. But the important thing shared on the second page and repeated on the last is that "she wrote books"--more than 100. Jacoby fancifully shows little bunnies reading and listening to some of Brown's most popular titles at the library, a few of which are summarized as well. An inordinate number of pages are devoted to Moore's disapproval and refusal to recognize Brown's groundbreaking contributions to the field of children's literature. The delightful, whimsical illustrations are rendered in watercolor, Nupastel, and Photoshop and portray a young, blond, energetic Brown chasing her dog, swimming naked, buying a cartload of fresh flowers, and admiring the sea from the bow of the ship meant to deliver her to a new, exciting life. Sadly, "Lives don't work the way most books do. They can end suddenly, as fast as you kick your leg in the air." VERDICT An important, groundbreaking biography inspired by Brown's legacy.--Barbara Auerbach, Cairo Public Library, NY