Review by Library Journal Review
A prolific writer of children's books, including Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny, Margaret Wise Brown (1910-52) led the unsettled, eccentric life one might expect of a poet. Gary, who has studied Brown since 1990, captures the author's madcap refusal to grow up that endeared her to friends and may have helped her writing. While Gary does trace her subject's professional accomplishments, she focuses on the personal. Raised in a privileged but troubled family, Brown was adventurous and imaginative at a young age, preferring sports, animals, and her friends to school. After graduating from Hollins College in Roanoke, VA, she moved to New York and took a job editing children's books. Influenced by Gertrude Stein, she tried writing herself, embracing real-world stories for children, and found she had considerable talent, even though she didn't particularly like children. After that, her reputation and success grew, although she never wrote any "grown-up" literature of consequence. Brown's complicated personal life included numerous romantic adventures, most notably a ten-year relationship with poet/playwright/actress Blanche Oelrichs, former wife of John Barrymore. VERDICT Recommended for readers interested in children's literature and author -biographies. [See Prepub Alert, 7/18/16.]-Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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