In this study, the engaging art created by childrens author Margaret Wise Brown receives the critical attention it deserves as a lasting contribution to American childrens literature. Through analysis of her dozens of titles published during the height of western Modernism, this scholarly text shares Browns importance and impact from the perspective of Browns work, rather than biographically. Moving beyond such popular titles as Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny into deeper cuts reveals how Browns oeuvre bridges multiple disciplines, including writing, visual art, philosophy, and music. Her projects successfully experiment with artistic collaboration and synesthesia as a natural expression for a child readership while both contributing to and reflecting high Modernism amidst the two World Wars. The quality of Browns writing and the maturity of her themes reveal respect for her child audience and recommend her work to the generations of readers who followed her early death. As this book demonstrates, Margaret Wise Brown remains one of the truly great authors of childrens literature.
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Literary Artist
Chapter 2: The Visual Artist
Chapter 3: The Philosophic Artist
Chapter 4: The Musical Artist
Epilogue
Julia Pond is Professor of English and Director of the Honors Academy at Shorter University in Rome, GA. She teaches adolescent, childrens, and American literatures. She has published articles on topics such as the Harry Potter series, adolescent development in To Kill A Mockingbird, and Southern identity in Childrens Literature, Childrens Literature in Education, The Looking Glass, and Southern Studies.
