In the Great Green Room: The Brilliant and Bold Life of Margaret Wise Brown

We all remember the effect that Margaret's books had on our childhoods. Now, as an adult, I feel the same way about this book. It's a fantastic look at Margaret Wise Brown's life. The author really takes you inside her head and makes you feel as if you are right there as she is going through her life. The descriptions are vivid and it keeps you wanting to read more. The book has the information of a biography but is page turning like a novel, which is great.A legend like Margaret Wise Brown is really defined by some of her most popular works like goodnight moon, but In the Great Green Room really went beyond those and revealed fascinating information about her life and the often tragic love affairs she was involved in. The book is well worth reading as an interesting portrait of a fascinating person, even if you did not grow up reading her children's books.If you've made it this far in my review, quit thinking and just buy this book.

Her words have lulled children to a calming state of peaceful transitions from active, bright and loud days to peaceful, shadowed and hushed times. And for her, children, childhood was most priceless of moments in life. Her audience of children had been chosen and cherished.This biography captures her personality, lifestyle, influences, and relationships mirrored through her books. Gentle, well researched bio, the framework makes this reading a pleasant and easy experience that comforts in much the way Margaret’s own words have done for generations.

If you are an adult avid reader, it may be because someone read to you when you were very young. Do you remember your favorite author? Probably not. However, the book you loved may have been "Goodnight Moon", authored by Margaret Wise Brown the subject of this wonderful biography by Amy Gary. Margaret never lost the ability to see the world through a child's eyes. That's what made her books so successful and what made her life so interesting. She was "quirky" and usually followed her own instincts rather than be swayed by others. I wish I could have known her!

I thoroughly enjoyed finding out about the life of this beloved children's book author. It satisfied my curiosity because it was so well researched. Honestly, though, it wasn't wonderfully written. It was a little too choppy for my taste, but it was easy reading. I wish the photos had been inserted in the sections they pertained to, instead of all being at the end. I also wish there were more pictures and examples of the artwork in her books.

Loved it all. Love the subject.

This book was delightful and likeable. It was easy to read and introduced me to the author of a favorite bedtime story book - Goodnight Moon.Margaret’s spirit of adventure was impressive. As the subtitle states she was brilliant and bold! Her ability to see the world through a childlike lens is something to be admired and it was the key to her success as a children’s author. This book brought home the importance of positive parent to child relationships. I loved the fact that Margaret was loyal and selfless when it came to her illustrators. She ensured that the illustrators of her books could make a living wage for their craft. Read this book and be inspired to live life as your true self.Note: The book includes several pages of photographs (not sure if they can be seen in the ebook version). These photos are the icing on the cake of Margaret's story.

What a lovely book. My favorite part was when the author wrote about how Brown had originally added a final witty line to "Goodnight Moon" -- and has the child say goodnight to a cucumber and a fly! Next time I find myself reading (reciting) the book to a child, I will definitely add those to the end. Such an interesting person Brown was. I had no idea! Really really enjoyed this book.

I was moved to order this book after reading a glowing review by the publisher of a blog called "The Marginalia." I remembered reading "Goodnight Moon" to children I babysat for when I was a teenager, and I love reading biographical works on the lives of women writers--especially women who made their way in the world at a time in our history when women had more limited oportunities. Sadly, the only thing I came away with after reading this book is, " What a pitiful woman Margaret Wise Brown was." She could never have written anything interesting for adults because she never attained the emotional maturity beyond the age group her children's stories were written for. Throughout her adulthood she seemed to be in a state of arrested development. At the the start of the book, I looked forward to learning more about Margaret--her dreams, her life and a peek into her soul perhaps. The author, Amy Gary, provided about 30 pages of sources, so her book was well researched...but sadly, there were no annecdotes or first-hand stories by anyone who knew Brown well. So at the end of the book the reader is left feeling Brown is a rather shallow, one dimensional person. It is no wonder that none of her adult relationships were ever developed into deep, rich connections. Brown was too childish to have a mature relationship with anyone -- man or woman. I almost gave up on the book about halfway through--the writing was so choppy and uninteresting. But at one point I realized that nearly a third of the book was devoted to acknowledgments and sources, so I really didn't have much further to read so I finished it. I am sorry I invested time and money on this drivel. There are so many good books to read, but this for me was not one of them.

As a retired teacher, I remembered reading many of Margaret Wise Brown's books to my young students, so I was excited to come across this biography. What a life she had. I loved the story although parts of it were quite sad.I still have a copy of "The Important Book". I look forward to reading it to my grandson in the near future.

This is a great insight into the life of Margaret Wise Brown, a truly wonderful free spirit. The author brings us into the life of U.S. high society in the 1940s, and a woman who loved life in the natural world to its fullest...beautiful!

Amy Gary's witty biography of Margaret Wise Brown tells the story in language reminiscent of the children's stories themselves: wise, lucid, never condescending.With photographs.

The research was fine but the writing pedestrian.