Miss Rumphius: My own hero

Since my last post, I've had a birthday, in which my mother gave me this for a b-day gift:

Consequently, this is also one of the few children's books that made it to my list. One of our favorites growing up, "Miss Rumphius" has stood the test of time and like all good books, the message remains pertinent. This is quite possibly one of my personal favorites; I get choked up to this day reading it.

Written and illustrated by Barbara Cooney, "Miss Rumphius" is a simple tale about growing up, travel, and doing something to "make the world more beautiful". And, like many simple things, it captures the sublime.
In it, we meet Alice, a young girl who likes to help her grandfather paint. She listens to his stories and plans her own adventures when she is grown. Once she is grown, she realizes that she hasn't had her adventures and begins to fix that.

Of all the reasons I love this book (and believe me, I ADORE it!), I'll just talk about these three elements


A) The Art: Barbara Cooney has really caught onto a delicate style that reminds me of those old nature drawings. The colors are rich, each picture tells a bit of Alice's story in itself (see the paintings of her grandfather's travels) and best of all, Miss Cooney managed to capture the east coast and its nature.

B) The themes of childhood vs adulthood and travel: Miss Rumphius listens to stories of far away lands and plans to travel there when she is older. Eventually she does and after a time returns home. While simple, Miss Rumphius's story is heart aching to return to as an adult in the same delicious way it was exciting as a child. My change in perspective when I read this book is enhanced by the fact that the book itself is about change. Its about dreams and the fruition of those dreams. The unknown and the celebration of home. Every child dreams of travel and adventure.

C) Actively making your world more beautiful. Grace Lee Boggs speaks of the garden teaching us a respect for the Earth. Working with the land teaches us care and responsibility over the land and ourselves. Working the earth and watching your flowers and vegetables grow is better than any anti depressant. also, gardening makes things pretty! Which makes people happy! Which is what its all about folks! Contributing to beauty, actively taking part in that cycle is a brave brave road and the rewards are many.

SO, on looking back, I am aware that this is all so cheesy. But hey, I'm a super cheese ball. And I think this is important. If you're looking for a book to read to your kids this evening, I promise this one will become a family classic.