Miss Rumphius

Title: Miss Rumphius

Author: Barbara Cooney

Illustrator: Barbara Cooney

Picture book for ages (approximately) 5 and up

Rating: 4of 5 stars

Summary:

This book tells a story about a woman, Miss Rumphius, through the eyes of her great niece

Opinion:

This is a nice story. Cooney’s writing has a pleasant rhythm and a warm feel. The story centers around what Miss Rumphius wants to do with her life, go to faraway places and live by the sea when she grows old, but her grandfather tells her she must do one more thing, make the world a more beautiful place. She takes you back in time with Miss Rumphius, showing all her adventures. You connect with her mood when she falls ill and can’t plant her flowers. You really want her to win, to accomplish what she wanted to do in life. When you find out how nature helped her cause you kind of do a little fist pump.

The illustrations in this book are equally as pleasant and warm. They remind me a little bit of a softer version of the imagery used in the movie Up. The colors used are enjoyable to look at. Without these illustrations the story would not be the same, possibly even dull. You need to see the colors of the flowers she plants and how she makes the world a more beautiful place in order to get the full experience.

I would definitely use this book in my classroom, not only on my library shelf, but for all grades in genre studies and author studies as well.