This Is Not About Picture Books: From "Here and Now" to Surrealism in Margaret Wise Brown's Little Fur Family and The Important Book

This essay examines the surreal qualities present in two classic picture books by Margaret Wise Brown: Little Fur Family (1946), illustrated by Garth Williams, and The Important Book (1949), illustrated by Leonard Weisgard. Although these stories were created in the "here and now" style of storytelling, an approach seemingly opposed to the interests of the fantastical, this analysis argues that surrealism actually encompasses the interests of the "here and now" tradition rather than subverts them. By specifically drawing comparisons between the "here and now" tradition and the subtle surrealism of René Magritte, this essay discusses how the two picture books are able to fully embrace the experience of the surreal as well as still stay firmly grounded in the "here and now" style of storytelling for children.