The Days Before Now

by Margaret Wise Brown, Joan W. Blos (Editor), Thomas B. Allen (Illustrator)

The celebrated children's book writer describes the scenes of her childhood, in New York City and on Long Island, and how she lived as an adult.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Autobiography, Childrens

36 pages, Library Binding

First published September 1, 1994

About the author

Margaret Wise Brown wrote hundreds of books and stories during her life, but she is best known for Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. Even though she died nearly 70 years ago, her books still sell very well.

Margaret loved animals. Most of her books have animals as characters in the story. She liked to write books that had a rhythm to them. Sometimes she would put a hard word into the story or poem. She thought this made children think harder when they are reading.

She wrote all the time. There are many scraps of paper where she quickly wrote down a story idea or a poem. She said she dreamed stories and then had to write them down in the morning before she forgot them.

She tried to write the way children wanted to hear a story, which often isn't the same way an adult would tell a story. She also taught illustrators to draw the way a child saw things. One time she gave two puppies to someone who was going to draw a book with that kind of dog. The illustrator painted many pictures one day and then fell asleep. When he woke up, the papers he painted on were bare. The puppies had licked all the paint off the paper.

Margaret died after surgery for a bursting appendix while in France. She had many friends who still miss her. They say she was a creative genius who made a room come to life with her excitement. Margaret saw herself as something else - a writer of songs and nonsense.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with other MWB books that I've read, the style of this one by turns touched me with loveliness...
"At the other end of the street
was a large brick church
And when the doors were open
there was the flash and flicker
of gold and candlelight
and the mystery of stained glass windows"

and slightly annoyed me with awkwardness,
"Once my great-aunts from Kentucky
who, I had been told, were giants—
they were very tall and beautiful—
arrived in our house for dinner
and I came down in front of the fire to meet them"

There is something about her style that does that to me, I'm afraid. But, the good far outweighs the annoying and I did enjoy this story and especially that it is so poetic and unusual a biography. For example, I found it interesting that she said, "I have written more than sixty books and I wish I didn't have ever to sign my long name on the cover of a book; I wish I could write a story that would seem absolutely true as Peter Rabbit and Snow White." Wow!

I'm sure devout MWB fans will love it.

[Thomasin Propson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different type of autobiography, with quotes of Margaret Wise Brown "adapted by" Joan W. Blos and illustrated by Thomas B. Allen. Rather than mention dates, it's a remembrance of how things felt for her, things that would be significant to a child reading about someone's life and trying to connect it with their own.

[Ashleigh De nicola]

This is a great book to read to children who are moving to a new place or just trying to get out of their comfort zone. She had known of Kentucky, Virginia, and Missouri because that’s where her parents where from. She soon found herself moving to New York City, but more specifically, Long Island. She would spend summer in Maine. “I have written more than sixty books, and I wish I didn’t have to ever sign my name on the cover of a book: I wish I could write a story that would seem absolutely as true as Peter Rabbit and Snow White.” This shows that no matter how much you love doing something, there is always something holding you back.

[Arsenio Richardson]

This was a very heart-warming story. Even though this was an autobiography, if still felt more like, the pictures books we had to read a couple weeks ago. The cover was really well designed, all that I could was it, was “read me” the connection was felt with the little girl in the book. Also, it was nice to see why they called New York the Brick city. Never really why it was called that until I read this book. The art was well illustrated and flowed really well. The autobiographical note in the book gave me better understanding of the author.

[Elizabeth Littleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Days Before Now is an autobiography of Margaret Wise Brown, the author of Goodnight Moon, her life and family as a child moving from Brooklyn to Long Island. This book would be a good mentor text for introducing autobiographies and memoirs to students. It could be used for a Social Studies lesson, researching the lives of important individuals from history. Students could use first-person point-of-view to write a research paper from the view of the historical figure they research, in the form of an autobiography.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Margaret Wise Brown is the author of the beloved well-known book Good Night Moon.

While searching in the library for Caldecott winners, I happened upon this lovely illustrated book.

It tells the recollections of Margaret wise Brown, the city where she was born at the turn of the century as we travel through her life where animals and peaceful locations dominate.

This is a lovely book containing soft, muted illustrations of a simple time to roam the beaches, watch the sea gulls, to visit a large brick church with lovely stained glass windows and the joy of candlelight.

[T Crockett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I (an adult) read this and really enjoyed it. The writing is poetic, the illustrations are exquisite. I also enjoyed how Brown wrote this story of her life from a child's perspective.

I haven't read it to any kids yet and I'm not so sure that they'll enjoy it. We'll see