The Origin of Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Margaret Wise Brown wrote more than 100 children’s books in her lifetime including her most popular work, Goodnight Moon.
Goodnight Moon is a part of millions of people’s childhoods. It may be surprising to know that the genre of children’s book that it exemplifies was new and experimental when the book was released.
Every artist needs to make the choice at some point during their career to begin experimenting with new ways of expressing her art. Sometimes it even means taking a completely new look at an old genre.
From Fantasy to Here and Now
Before she was a full-time writer Margaret Wise Brown was a teacher and then later an editor of children’s books for W. R. Scott. During that time she wrote and edited and helped develop a style of children’s books that would make her famous.
Prior to the 20th century, most children’s books were fables and fairy tales. Brown pioneered a new kind of children’s book that focused on the here and now.
Her “Here and Now” series of books featured modern urban or rural settings that children could more easily connect to as it portrayed in many ways their own lives.
Brown’s books traded in fantasy for the mundane yet maintained a sense of wonder about the world around us.
Goodnight Moon features a bunny saying goodnight to all the things in the room around him. It is simple and peaceful and calming to read and hear.
It sounds so obvious that children would like books like this, but in the 1930’s and 40’s this was a very experimental form of children’s literature. The New York Public Library, for example, refused to put Goodnight Moon on its shelves. It wasn’t until 1973, believe it or not, that the book finally appeared in their library.
How was Brown able to master such a new form of literature?
Her day job as an editor enabled her to test out new ideas and work with other authors and illustrators. She wrote her own books during that time but also learned from her experience with other creatives.
After a few years of experimentation and after achieving some level of personal success, she set out on her own as a full-time writer of books featuring the “here and now.”
Experiment
As an artist you need to experiment and try new forms of art that your audience will enjoy.
Brown found a job as an editor where she could experiment with and try new forms of children’s books. As a teacher she got to know what children were like even though she didn’t have any of her own.
Find a way to learn about your audience and experiment with new forms of expression of your art. The more you experiment, the more progress you will make towards creating a masterpiece.
Margaret Wise Brown’s first children’s book was published in 1937. It wasn’t until ten years later, in 1947, that her seminal work Goodnight Moon was published. She was a successful writer during this time, but it took ten years to write the legendary work that would define her career.
Take some time to learn your craft and experiment today so that ten years from now you are in a position to create your artistic legacy.
Inspired by Hannah Keyser’s article “11 Fascinating Facts about Goodnight Moon” and other brief online biographies of Margaret Wise Brown.
