Module 2: Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

Picture taken from:

http://www.amazon.com/Miss-Rumphius-MISS-RUMPHIUS-Hardcover/dp/B002VKL0FG/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318198167&sr=1-4

Summary:

This story is told from the perceptive of the great niece of an older woman named Miss Rumphius. Everyone in the town where Miss Rumphius lives thinks she is an eccentric old lady and call her the Lupine Lady, but the narrator explains that Miss Rumphius has lived an exciting and meaningful life.

 Miss Rumphius, who’ first name is Alice, grew up under the watchful eye of her grandfather who was an wood sculpture. Alice would tell her grandfather that when she grows up she is going to travel to see far away places and live by the sea. Her grandfather explained that she must also make the world a beautiful place to live. As Alice grew, she travelled to far away places and experiences great adventures as she settles down in a home near the sea she remembers her grandfathers words about making the world a more beautiful place.  Alice takes the Lupine flowers that grew near her home and spread them throughout the village were she lived making it a more beautiful place to live. 

Citation:

Cooney, B. (1982). Miss Rumphius. New York, New York: The Viking Press.

Impressions:

I would go out and buy this book for its artwork alone. Author Barbara Cooney both wrote and illustrated the book and it is beautiful in both aspects. The story is told by a child narrator who is relaying the biography of her aunt Alice Rumphius with the same eloquence and confidence as any adult.  

I appreciate the child’s retelling of her aunt’s life story. This story is a great way to teach children not to disrespect someone because they come across eccentric or strange and that there is always a story to be told if you are willing to listen. I also liked how the main character was a women who traveled and followed her dreams in a historical setting that would normally not portray such an interesting woman.  

Review:

Citiation:

Dooley, P. (1982). [Miss Rumphius] [book review]. School Library Journal, 29(1), 106. Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/

Uses:

• The book can be used to discuss respecting elders with children.
• The book could be used to discuss feminist issues with adults.