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... ... middle of paper ... ... 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.
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.
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.
The award-winning book of poems, Brown Girl Dreaming, by Jacqueline Woodson, is an eye-opening story. Told in first person with memories from the author’s own life, it depicts the differences between South Carolina and New York City in the 1960s as understood by a child. The book begins in Ohio, but soon progresses to South Carolina where the author spends a considerable amount of her childhood. She and her older siblings, Hope and Odella (Dell), spend much of their pupilage with their grandparents and absorb the southern way of life before their mother (and new baby brother) whisk them away to New York, where there were more opportunities for people of color in the ‘60s. The conflict here is really more of an internal one, where Jacqueline struggles with the fact that it’s dangerous to be a part of the change, but she can’t subdue the fact that she wants to. She also wrestles with the issue of where she belongs, “The city is settling around me….(but) my eyes fill up with the missing of everything and everyone I’ve ever known” (Woodson 184). The conflict is never explicitly resolved, but the author makes it clear towards the end
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.
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..
middle of paper ... ... Beryl Markham spends every waking moment of her life striving to do exactly that. She never wastes an opportunity to take a risk, discover something new, travel to another place, take a challenge, or prove someone wrong; and, without the support of friends like Tom Black, Arab Ruta, and Blix, she would not be able to do so. Her memoir West with the Night is a tribute to her free spirit and overarching thirst for all that is foreign.
...f discrimination and segregation. Emmett Till was only fourteen when Roy Bryant and Milam murdered him. The case was held on September 23, 1955. Roy and Milam were set free, and had no charges. This sparked many controversies between the black and whites during that time. Emmet’s story still lives on today, and has had n enormous impact on the world today.
Harmon, William, and C. Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1996.
Evidence of Injustice: The brutal murder of 14 years old Emmett Till, a young teen from Chicago in 1955 can also be seen as an act...
Hunt, Jonathan. "In Darkness." The Horn Book Magazine Mar.-Apr. 2012: 111+. Academic OneFile. Web. 29 Apr. 2014
Bausch, Richard, and R. V. Cassill. "Heart of Darkness." The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. 126-86. Print.
...many of her books were dark and gloomy, but they all make the reader appreciate the love that’s currently surrounding them.
Ever since I was a child, I've never liked reading. Every time I was told to read, I would just sleep or do something else instead. In "A Love Affair with Books" by Bernadete Piassa tells a story about her passion for reading books. Piassa demonstrates how reading books has influenced her life. Reading her story has given me a different perspective on books. It has showed me that not only are they words written on paper, they are also feelings and expressions.
Generation X refers to the population cohort following the Baby Boomers. Sources differ as to the exact years during which this cohort was born. Coupland (1991) suggests 1960 to 1970; Bradford and Raines (1992) propose 1965 to 1975; and Howe and Strauss (1993) suggest 1961 to 1981. Whatever the birth years, it is their common life experiences that give this cohort an identity. Individuals born in Generation X are reputedly more global, technologically oriented, and culturally diverse than the generations before them. Coming of age when the linear career path no longer exists, where average income is falling, and where continuous change is the norm, does this generation have different values, work ethics, and attitudes toward work and career development? As the myths and realities of this question are explored, it is important to remember that the characteristics, habits, and traits attributed to individuals in this cohort are mere generalizations, presented to afford a better understanding of the generation called Generation X.