My Red Umbrella

By Robert Bright

Copyright 1959

“Maybe I shouldn’t have bothered to bring my red umbrella.  But you never can tell.”

So begins a little girl’s walk on a lovely, sunny day.  It’s a good thing she brought her umbrella, because before too long, it starts to rain.  Along the way, she is joined by a little dog who also wants to stay dry.  Next come two kittens, then three chickens, and then four little rabbits.  Somehow, that little red umbrella grows bigger each time someone wants to join her beneath it.  Just big enough, in fact to keep them all safe and dry.  By the time the rain ends, a lamb, two goats, three little pigs, four little foxes, and even a big wet bear have joined the group under the red umbrella.  

That’s the way it is, isn’t it?  We start out thinking we have just enough for ourselves. But once we open up and invite more people in, we find that somehow we have enough to share. 

Yankee Auctioneer

By George H. Bean

Copyright 1948

I stumbled upon this book at a local thrift store recently.  I’ve never been to a country auction before, but I’ve always thought it would be an interesting experience.  After reading George Bean’s account of his life as an auctioneer in New England, I can imagine the sights, sounds, emotions, and interesting characters one would encounter at a country auction near the beginning of the 20^th century.  

Through his stories, Mr. Bean tells how he learned all the tricks of his trade – by trial and error.  He spent much time on his own, at the beginning of his career, learning how to tell the difference between valuable antiques and unwanted junk. He learned methods of getting the auction audience to bid higher on items up for sale.  For instance, by alternating valuable antiques with inexpensive quick sellers, he could keep more of his audience interested.  After reading his stories, I believe he also learned compassion for the people who, whether by choice or necessity, put their estates up for auction.  While some people may have been pleasantly surprised by what their houseful of stuff brought in, others could be crushed to find out their lifetime collection of worldly goods is deemed worthless to everyone else.  

His concluding chapter was most interesting to me.  In Mr. Bean’s experience, what most consider junk can be converted to something very useful by an enterprising individual.  He learned to suggest ways in which an object may be used in order to generate interest.  If an old spinning wheel wasn’t selling, he may suggest using the wheel as a trellis for ivy placed beneath it.  How about those old flatirons?  With a coat of paint, they could be used as bookends or doorstops.   

And here I thought the repurposing and upcycling were new ideas.  Those beautiful but mismatched tea cups?  They are now cute candleholders.  The antique milk bottle makes for a very nice vase.  But one of my favorite reuses?  Grandma’s antique cabbage slicer.  It’s no longer used to make sauerkraut.  It now makes for a very nice shelf in the living room.  

Generations: Grandmothers, Mothers, and Daughters

By Marilyn Claus 

“On the north side of Chicago, one cold, windy March day in 1872, Rose Curran and Peter Smith became the parents of a baby girl they named Catherine.”

That baby girl named Catherine, called Kit, was my great-grandmother and this book was written by my mother.  She continues to describe Catherine’s childhood growing up in a large family.  Kit played with dolls, read books, played jump rope, hide and seek, blind man’s bluff and tag, although she was encumbered by long dresses.  And when she grew up, Kit had children of her own, including my grandmother Martha.

Martha, the youngest of six, also spent time reading.  She especially liked Little Women and other Louisa May Alcott books.  Sometimes Martha would travel with her family by train into Chicago to see a silent film.  When Martha grew up, she had children of her own, including my mother, Marilyn.  

Marilyn was the second of six children – another big family.  She loved to go to the library.  Heide, A Child’s Garden of Verses, Under the Lilacs and Ivanhoe were favorites, along with the Bobbsey Twins series.  Marilyn enjoyed going to Fullersburg Forest Preserve, where her Grandpa worked, to play in the water and the woods.  Marilyn grew up to have children of her own – nine!  And the youngest of those was me!  

“Adrian is fortunate to be part of a new era when girls are able to dress more comfortably…no more long dresses for everyday!  Girls are able to be involved in sports if they want and to study to be doctors, lawyers or whatever they choose…many choices are open to girls that were not in past years.  But, with all those changes, little girls have not really changed a great deal—they still play with dolls, giggle with friends, cry when sad, enjoy reading some of the same books of 100 years ago and still grow up to have little girls of their own!”

Over 100 years after their great-great-grandmother was born, my little girls played with dolls, jumped rope, played hide and seek and tag, read books, saw movies with their family, and even enjoyed going to Fullersburg Forest Preserve where their great-grandfather worked and their grandmother Marilyn spent many happy days.  

The girls at Fullersburg

I wonder what Kit would say if she could see her great-great granddaughters growing up and playing just down the road from where she herself played.  I think she would be shocked and amazed (and sometimes appalled) by the fashion and technology of their world.  But I think that she would also see that deep down, those little girls are very much like her and even have some of the same books on their shelves.

Make Way for Ducklings

By Robert McCloskey

Original copyright 1941

 

Searching for a perfect place to raise their family, Mr. and Mrs. Mallard stopped for a rest in Boston’s Public Garden.  They had no problem finding something to eat here, because the people riding the swan boats fed them peanuts.  Because of the reckless boys on bicycles, though, Mrs. Mallard decided it was no place to raise a family.  After searching around Boston, they finally found a spot in the Charles River.  They got to know a friendly policeman named Michael who gave Mr. and Mrs. Mallard peanuts every day. 

 Once the eight little ducklings hatched and started to grow, the Mallards decided they should venture back to the Public Garden.  Mrs. Mallard was very responsible taking care of her ducklings.  She taught them how to swim and dive, how to walk in a line, and to stay away from speeding bicycles.  When they were ready, Mrs. Mallard led the way with Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack following her down the city sidewalks.  The traffic was very dangerous and the family came close to disaster crossing a busy intersection, but fortunately, their friend Michael stepped in to help.  He stopped traffic and called his policemen friends to make sure that little family made it safely to their destination.  The Mallards knew they couldn’t have made it without their friends helping.

We can plan and prepare until we think we have it all figured out, but sometimes, every one of us needs a little help from those around us. 

A Little Princess

By Frances Hodgson Burnett

Original copyright 1905

It amazes me that a book that was written over 100 years ago is still loved by so many today.  The author relates the story of Sara Crewe, a wealthy yet unspoiled little girl sent by her loving father to Miss Minchin’s boarding school for young ladies.  At first, Sara is treated like a princess.  However, on her eleventh birthday, the horrible news comes that her father has died and left little Sara a penniless orphan.  Miss Minchin tells Sara she will do her a favor and not throw her out on the street.  Instead, Sara must become a servant.  Her belongings are taken away is she is made to live in a cold, bare attic room, living on a very small amount of food.  

The touching part of this story is how Sara reacts to her dismal situation.  Yes, she is terribly sad and grieves for her father.  And yes, she is angry at the injustice of her treatment.  Still, Sara Crew acts like a princess at heart.  She never stops treating other people with kindness.  

The one story that affected me as a child reading this book is when Sara is thrilled to find a coin on the street.  She is weak from hunger and sees some delicious buns in the bakery window.  However, on her way into the bakery, Sara sees a little beggar girl huddled in the corner.  This little girl must be even more hungry, Sara thinks.  After purchasing six buns from the baker woman, Sara hands five of them to the beggar girl, taking only one for herself.  And Sara could have easily eaten all six.  Her selflessness surprised me, and I think shamed me too, for I didn’t think I would have done the same.  

The story doesn’t end there, however.  Inspired by Sara’s extreme kindness, the baker woman invites the ragged little beggar girl into her store, continues to feed her, and even gives her a job.  This is the lesson I’ve learned from A Little Princess.  A solitary kind act has the potential to change many lives as it snowballs through the world.