Robin's Room [Hardcover]

Margaret Wise Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2002 | Grade Level: P and up

What do you do with a child who paints on doors and windows, hides sneakers full of sand in his parents' bed, and saws the corners off chairs? You give him a room of his own, of course! When Robin's parents agree to turn the renovations over to Robin, it's clear his artistic vision will turn the room, and the book, upside down. From Margaret Wise Brown, one of America's finest children's picture book authors, and the talented team of Steven Johnson and Lou Francher comes a humorous and heartwarming tribute to creative children everywhere and the adults who support them.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This uneven vision of a child's ideal room joins the many and mixed posthumous works by Brown (Two Little Trains; The Dirty Little Boy) already on the bookstore shelf. Robin, an artistic soul, "sawed legs off of chairs./ And he planted flowers in the bathtub." He needs his own room, but when his parents proudly create for him a bedroom in a gauzy rainbow motif, he hates it. "He stamped his foot so hard that his shoe fell off./ `Give me three carpenters, please,' said Robin./ `Why not?' said his mother. `A child's room made by a child.' " However, with its sturdy workbench, spill-proof painting center and flower-filled reading window (all built by three adult carpenters and, weirdly, one giraffe), Robin's perfect space is little more than a grown-up's fantasy of childhood. Johnson and Fancher's (My Many Colored Days) warm frescoes of sky blue and spring green have a sunny charm. The illustrators toy bravely with the layout, supporting Robin's decorating scheme of "turning the fronts of everything to the back" by letting readers flip the book over and read "backward" for several pages; unfortunately, this assisted fun, like Robin's room, lacks the appearance of spontaneity. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 3-7. The artistic duo that created Dr. Seuss' My Many Colored Days (1996) brings life to Brown's never-before-published manuscript. A toddler, Robin, causes no end of trouble for his harried parents, who eventually send him to a room of his own. Unimpressed, Robin stamps his feet, demanding three carpenters to redecorate according to his own liking! His parents agree, and once the renovations are complete, Robin becomes a model child. Johnson and Fancher's vibrant artwork features simple figures, a recurring rainbow motif, and an emphasis on creativity. In the midsection of the text (during the redecoration), children are asked to turn the book upside down and turn pages backward to continue through the story. Adult readers may question parents rewarding misbehavior, but Brown's point about allowing children to express their individuality is well taken. Kay Weisman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1st edition (May 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786806028
• ISBN-13: 978-0786806027
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 10 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #723,495 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Margaret Wise Brown wrote hundreds of books and stories during her life, but she is best known for Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny. Even though she died over 45 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book - for boys and girls, September 10, 2007

By 

Mimi "Mimi" (Richmond, VA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Robin's Room (Hardcover)

This book is terrific and a worthwhile purchase even though it currently is out of print. The most interesting aspect of this book itself is that it rotates 360 degrees throughout the story. That coupled with Margaret Wise Brown (how can you go wrong?!) make this a great addition to your child's collection. My 3.5 year old loves it.