Miss Rumphius

I start my book blog with an entry about my favorite book: Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney.  This linguistic masterpiece captured my heart at an early age. As a child, I valued the rich artwork and story of a woman who plants flowers that will return long after she is gone.  As I read this book again as an adult, it takes on a more significant meaning; one of hope, determination, and the value of leaving your mark on the world.  Miss Rumphius stands for dreams achieved, living grandly simplistic, and spreading joy; lessons that one is neither too young nor too old to learn.

As a child, Alice dreams of "living by the sea" and going to "faraway places."  Her grandfather also insists that she, "do something to make the world more beautiful."  The story follows Miss Rumphius (Alice) as she grows older and visits foreign lands, eventually settling down by the sea.  Miss Rumphius' favorite flowers are lupines.  She honors her grandfathers request by planting lupine seeds throughout her town.  By doing this, year after year, when spring arrives, the lupines bloom.  Alice lives on through the lupines and in turn makes the world a more beautiful place.

I could use this book in my classroom to facilitate a discussion about what my student's hopes and dreams are.  I could then have my students write about their dreams, and how they are going to leave the world a more beautiful place.  I could even incorporate art into this assignment by having my students draw a picture of how they plan to make the world more beautiful.


Miss Rumphius. ISBN 0-14-050539-3. Barbara Cooney. 1982. American Book Award. Age 4-8.Contemporary Fiction.