Only Margaret, A story about Margaret Wise Brown…Written by Candice Ransom and Illustrated by Nan Lawson

On May 23, 1910, Haley’s comet soared across the sky and a girl named Margaret Wise Brown entered into the world too.

Margaret was a different girl, always thinking of things nobody else did. She was a bit quirky, and loved spinning up dramatic stories, sometimes scary and sometimes magical.

She always dared to be different like the one time she carried a bunny on a train in a basket…and when she drove 600 miles in a TAXI! Only Margaret!

Her brother and sister seemed to find their way in the world. One was an engineer and the other studied physics. But for Margaret she didn’t know what she wanted to do. She was encouraged by her teacher to become a writer… she LOVED words, but HATED commas!

She thought often of this idea as she moved through life doing other things. Finally, she decided to move to New York City where she could find inspiration. But the writing and the inspiration never came…and so she decided to enroll in a teacher’s college, but then decided teaching wasn’t for her.

What she learned from this experience working with children, is that she DID love children’s stories and decided to become a writer for children’s books. Having made this decision, she saw the world through new eyes, she began to look at things in a new way. Soon poems and stories were flowing! She would even share her stories with children for honest feedback .Her first book was titled, “When the Wind Blew.” Eventually she wrote another inquisitive book for kids titled, “ The Important Book” too.

And one night Margaret dreamed of a green room and a red balloon and a picture of a cow jumping over the moon…It turned into a book, with no commas…and was about a bunny who named all the things in his room before he went to sleep.

Can you guess the story? Goodnight Moon!

While there were others publishing books for children, none of them compared to Margaret. She had published over fifty books in nine years! She soon became famous.

Margaret started to travel the world, even writing over twenty books at a time. And while she was busy keeping busy, she felt lonely. So she bought a house off the coast of Maine and here she painted and enjoyed the nature that surrounded her. Here she became inspired to write about the special island where she lived and came to the understanding that everyone and everything is part of the world. She began to understand that she wasn’t alone. And this inspired her next book, titled “The Little Island.”

And even as she finished one book, her mind was already magically creating another. Turns out Margaret found her purpose after all and went on to write many more stories for children in her lifetime. In fact, Margaret wrote over eight hundred pieces, including stories, books, songs, and poems. She gave the world her words and inspiration to children everywhere for generations to come. And that book with no commas that she dreamed in her head of a bunny saying goodnight to all the things in its room before bed, would be come the world’s most beloved bedtime story!

Thank you Margaret Wise Brown!

Candice Ransom writes a fabulous story about Margaret Wise Brown. She intentionally added interesting facts about Margaret that allowed us to see her vulnerable side, her quirky side, and the side that maybe doubted herself. The illustrations by Nan Lawson are fun and whimsical, adding that dust of magic that Margaret sprinkled into her books. Teachers, parents, and students will enjoy this book. It’s not only a story about the life of the beloved author, but it inspires all of us with the message that just because you may wander in life, doesn’t mean you are lost. That everybody has a purpose and for some, the things you encounter in your life help to guide you on that path. I am so glad Margaret didn’t give up on becoming a writer, despite the hardship and the fact she didn’t like commas…that dislike became her greatest strength in the book Goodnight Moon. I have enjoyed that story like so many others, over and over again with my little ones.

I think the story of Margaret Wise Brown, teaches all of us to find our own path, to not compare ourselves to others, to stay focused, do something that you love, be a fun trailblazer, and share with the world what you are passionate about. Her list of books and quality of books is impressive; but what I loved most about Margaret, was her fun loving, quirky, out of the box spontaneity, and just in general the way she viewed the world through her own colorful lenses. Candice Ransom captured Margaret’s essence perfectly in this whimsical story of her life!

Rainbow Teaching Tip: The first idea that comes to my mind for a book extension for kids of any age…is really to read more of Margaret’s books. It would be fun to compare and contrast stories in theme, characters, writer’s craft, illustrations, etc. I learned that many of her stories (26 to be exact) contained bunnies. I wonder why she loved them so much. Would be fun to research that and find those bunny stories.

I think this book celebrates differences. Margaret was not like other young girls…she had a great personality, flare for life, excitement, and creativity. I feel like great discussions can be held about differences and how they contribute to our success.

And also, the fact she hated commas and wrote a best selling book without them, meant she was a rule breaker. A creative writing piece, where students have to leave out commas or punctuation altogether would be fun…what would that look like as a poem…as a picture book?

If you can think of any other creative idea to use as a book extensions, write it in the comments!

To learn more about Candice Ransom visit her website.

To learn more bout Illustrator Nan Lawson visit her website here.