THE IMPORTANT THING ABOUT MARGARET WISE BROWN by Mac Barnett.  Illus. by Sarah Jacoby.  New York:  Balzer + Bray, 2019.  42p.  ISBN 978-0062393449 hc. $17.99     Gr. K-3    J 921

Barnett covers a lot of topics in this short (42 pages) biography of well-known children's author, Margaret Wise Brown.  He talks about children's books, authors in general, the quirky habits of Brown as a child, and her sometimes outlandish behavior as an adult.  Readers also learn about Anne Carroll Moore, a powerful librarian from the New York Public Library who created a children's room there, filled only with children's books.  However, if she didn't like a book, she censored it and wouldn't make it available to readers.  That is what she did to Brown's books.  Despite her conflict with the powerful librarian, Brown's books, such as GOODNIGHT MOON,  RUNAWAY BUNNY, and THE HAPPY DAY, were read and loved by children all over the country.  Brown died at the age of 42, during a trip to France.  The story ends as it begins, with a statement of purpose.  "The important thing about Margaret Wise Brown is that she wrote books."
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI