What I'm reading now... the biography of Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon, by Leonard S. Marcus. I've only just begun it but am so excited to learn more about the life and inspiration of one of my favorite children's book authors. Her writing is so creative and quirky, with a freedom sometimes missing in kids books today. How can you beat "Goodnight nobody, Goodnight mush." ? I didn't know until I was an adult that one of my very favorite books when I was a girl, Color Kittens, was written by Ms. Brown. Somehow my mother missed Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny when buying books for my brothers and me, but I've read each to my own children countless times. Runaway Bunny in particular gets me choked up and in awe of how in tune she was with the world of children and the love of parents, though I think she never had children of her own. (I'll find out soon in Mr. Marcus' book!) A few favorite lines from Little Fur Family (a gift to my kids from my dear friend Domenica who had read it as a child)... "It was a wild wild wood. Wild flowers grew all over the ground and wild winds blew through the air." And of course, Garth Williams illustrations are magical. I'll post again as I get through the book and again when I'm done. From the jacket I see that her own life may not have been joyful, which only makes me more curious about her and her wonderful stories!