Miss+Rumphius

Miss Rumphius Written and Illustrated by Barbara Cooney = **Bibliographic Data ** = Author and Illustrator: Barbara Cooney Publisher: The Penguin Group  Date of Publication: 1982  Ages: 3-8  ISBN: 0140553169 = **Summary ** = //Miss Rumphius// is about the life of a little old lady, Miss Rumphius (Alice). Alice lived by the water with her grandfather who loved to paint. He would paint ocean scenes with ships, and Alice would help him paint the skies. When Alice was young, she told her grandfather that she wanted to travel the world and live by the sea just like him. He told her that was a wonderful idea, but he told Alice she had to promise him that she would do something to make the world more beautiful as she traveled. So, when Miss Rumphius got older, she traveled all over the world, and finally settled in a cottage on the sea, but she realized there was still one more thing she had to do: do something to make the world more beautiful. After some thought, Miss Rumphius decides to carry Lupine seeds in her pockets and scatter the land with them. The following spring, the world was covered with Lupines and Miss Rumphius had done her part in making the word a more beautifull place! = **Review ** = //Miss Rumphius// is a wonderful book for children! The illustrations are beautiful and colorful with a lot of detail so that the readers can vididly picture the scenes they are reading about. The plot is also very heartwarming and teachers children a valuable life lesson. The lesson is that it is important to be different in life and make your mark on the world. Do not be afraid to take chances and try something new. In addition to these lessons the book teaches children, it also helps children learn about different settings around the world. The children can learn about different locations and cultures through Miss Rumphius' world travels. This is an award winning book and is a great read for kids! = **Analysis of a Literary Element ** = 1) The theme of this book is that it is important to go out into the world and make a difference or a change. The book shows that even the littlest action can make a drastic change and make the world a better, brighter place. This book also teaches children not to be afraid to do what you want to do. Do not be afraid to take risks, because if you do not take risks, you will never accomplish your dreams. Miss Rumphius followed her heart adn traveled the world, and this encourages children to follow their heart and do the same. 2) The illustrations in //Miss Rumphius// were also an integral part of the book. They are extremely detailed, and the color tones of each picture matches the mood that is being described on that page. The detail of the pictures also helps teach children about other cultures and geographical environment. For example, when Miss Rumphius is traveling the world, the detail from the illustrations helps teach children about key cultural icons in each location. The illustrations help teach children about different cultures and they also help children create more concrete images of what is happening in the story in their head. = **Author Bio ** = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Barbara Cooney (August 6, 1917 - March 10, 2000) was an American writer and illustrator of more than 200 children's books published over sixty years. She won two Caldecott Medals recognizing the year's best-illustrated U.S. picture book. Cooney was born on August 6th, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York to Russell Schenck Cooney (a stockbroker) and Mae Evelyn Bossert (a painter). She later graduated from Smith College, and had her first book published a year after graduation. Cooney won the Caldecott Medal for Chanticleer and the Fox and also a Caldecott Medal for Ox-Cart Man in 1980. Cooney traveled all over the world, and finally settled down with her husband, Charles Porter, in Damariscotta, Maine. = **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Related Links ** = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">http://theartofchildrenspicturebooks.blogspot.com/2011/03/miss-rumphius.html