Margaret Wise Brown's The Making of Goodnight Moon
The numerous books that Margaret Wise Brown wrote during her short career hold a special place in the hearts of children and their parents. Many readers have no understanding of the scrutiny a book goes through before it reaches the printing press, a book's ultimate goal. Even though Brown would publish several books a year, none is more cherished than "the hypnotic, mystery-laden words and joyful pictures of Goodnight Moon" (Marcus, The Making of Goodnight Moon, 3).
Born through a dream, the text of Goodnight Moon was set to paper in nearly finalized form. Margaret Wise Brown awoke one morning in 1945 and shortly thereafter had the full story designed before her (Marcus, The Making of Goodnight Moon, 16). The book was originally called Goodnight Room, and Ursula Nordstrom, an editor at Harper & Brothers, was the first to hear the manuscript later that day (Marcus, The Making of Goodnight Moon, 16). The story is a child's nighttime prayer to all of his daytime playthings (Marcus, Margaret Wise Brown, 187). Leonard Marcus describes the book as "spoken in part in the voice of the provider, the good parent or guardian who can summon forth a secure, whole existence simply by naming particulars 'And it is partly spoken in the voice of a child, who takes possession of that world by naming the particulars all over again'" (187). Everything in the small rabbit's room is bid goodnight, from mush to the mouse that is seen in the picture. The book ends very slowly, as sleep falls upon "the great green room" (187).
Clement Hurd was Brown and Nordstrom's first choice as illustrator for Goodnight Moon, but since he was away in the war, Nordstrom began looking for other artists (Mar...
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... it to their friends (216). The popularity of the book lead the New York Public Library in 1973 to place it on their shelves (216). The only explanation for the book's continuing popularity is the first generation Goodnight Mooners reading the loved book to their children and the cycle perpetuating itself. The only sad aspect of the book's history is that Margaret Wise Brown did not live to see this boom in Goodnight Moon's popularity due to her tragic death in 1952 (Marcus, The Making of Goodnight Moon, 26).
Works Cited
Marcus, Leonard S. The Making of Goodnight Moon: A 50th Anniversary Retrospective. New York: HarperCollins, 1997.
Marcus, Leonard S. Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon. Boston: Beacon Press, 1992. pp. 183-219.
Nordstrom, Ursula. Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom. Ed. Leonard S. Marcus. New York: HarperCollins, 1998.
On August 28, 1955, fourteen year old Emmett Till was beaten, tortured and shot. Then with barbed wire wrapped around his neck and tied to a large fan, his body was discarded into the Tallahatchi River. What was young Emmett’s offense that brought on this heinous reaction of two grown white men? When he went into a store to buy some bubblegum he allegedly whistled at a white female store clerk, who happened to be the store owner’s wife. That is the story of the end of Emmett Till’s life. Lynchings, beatings and cross-burning had been happening in the United States for years. But it was not until this young boy suffered an appalling murder in Mississippi that the eyes of a nation were irrevocably opened to the ongoing horrors of racism in the South. It sparked the beginning of a flourish of both national and international media coverage of the Civil Rights violations in America.
Ann Rinaldi has written many books for young teenagers, she is an Award winning author who writes stories of American history and makes them become real to the readers. She has written many other books such as A Break with Charity, A Ride into Morning, and Cast two Shadows, etc. She was born in New York City on August 27, 1934. In 1979, at the age of 45, she finished her first book.
Emmett Till was a 14 year old boy visiting Money,Mississippi from Chicago, Illinois in 1955. He whistled, flirted, and touched a white woman who was working at a store where Emmett Till was purchasing bubble gum. A day later Till was abducted at gunpoint from his great uncle’s house. 3 days after that Till’s body was found, unrecognizable other than a ring he had on. He was unprepared for the intense segregation of Mississippi.The death of this young boy then sparked a movement to end the inequality of African Americans in the United States.
Children literature is a term that refers to the texts written for children. The artist uses creative ways to ensure that children are provided with educational books, touching on a variety of themes. This paper will include comparison of two characters from the two texts, “Hana's Suitcase: A True Story,” authored by Karen Levine and “Charlotte’s Web,” written by E.B. White, with the aim of understanding ways in which problems are solvable as indicated by selected characters.
Spencer, Robyn. "Emmett Till." Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History. Gale, 2006. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 30 Jan. 2014.
In conclusion, critical evaluation of what makes a book good or bad depends on the selection criteria and agenda of those making the evaluation. The prizes have been criticised through the years and the selection committees have risen to this by changing the selection process, even if this change has been slow. Children’s Literature is in flux due to the ever-changing ideas and perceptions of childhood. Children’s books seen as prestigious today may become, like Blyton, unpalatable to the critics of tomorrow.
In the early 1900’s racism was a force to be reckoned with, but not knowing the dangers of the south, Emmett Till was unaware of his actions and the consequences. While visiting his uncle in Mississippi Emmett Till was murdered for whistling at a white woman. Not knowing the dangers of the south Emmett acted like his casual, cocky self. Emmett Till’s death is thought to be the spark of the Civil Rights Movement (Crowe). Even though everyone knew who had murdered Emmitt, the men were never put to justice or charged.
Margaret Wise Brown is an exceptional author that has written many children’s picture books. She has created a style of writing that children can relate to on each of their own level. Each book has a simple and easy structure of writing accompanied with defining illustrations.
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Senick, Gerard J., and Hedblad, Alan. Children’s Literature Review: Excerpts from Reviews, and Commentary on Books for Children and Young People (Volumes 14, 34, 35). Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research, 1995..
In the book, Night by Ellie Wiesel, this book Ellie documents his experiences before the Holocaust and in the concentration camps during the Holocaust. In this book, Ellie Wiesel discusses his experiences, some of these experiences changes Ellie as a person physically and mentally. Although Ellie Wiesel has experienced horrible things, he has been able to deal and survive through these horrible experiences.
Harmon, William, and C. Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1996.
Bausch, Richard, and R. V. Cassill. "Heart of Darkness." The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. 126-86. Print.
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