Little Alice Rumphius wanted to do the same.
But her grandfather told her she had to do one more thing.
"You must do something to make the world more beautiful," said her grandfather.
"All right," said Alice. But she did not know what that could be.
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| The front cover of Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney |
The back cover reads, "Ages 3--8," but it's surely a misprint. "1--92" is more like it.
No matter how old we are, we keep dreaming of what we're going to be when we grow up.
It's no mere chance that it takes Alice Rumphius a lifetime to finally figure out what she can do to make the world more beautiful. By the time she accomplishes "the third, the most difficult thing of all," she's an old lady.
And even then, I wish to think, she keeps dreaming of beautiful tomorrows.
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| A detail of a page from Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney |
MISS RUMPHIUS, a wonder of a book for young (at heart) readers by Barbara Cooney.
"I believe that children in this country need a more robust literary diet than they are getting...It does not hurt them to read about good and evil, love and hate, life and death. Nor do I think they should read only about things that they understand...a man's reach should exceed his grasp. So should a child's. For myself, I will never talk down to--or draw down to--children."
--Barbara Cooney, artist/illustrator, author
Live for the Love of it,
Sasha A. Palmer (aka Happy)
P.S. Read about the extraordinary life of Georg Eberhard Rumphius, 17th century German-born botanist who became the inspiration for "The Lupine Lady."
P.P.S. Guess what I'm adding to my garden?
