Anne of Avonlea

The Anne of Green Gables Novels #2

L. M. Montgomery

First published in 1909

Yesterday evening, I started another reread of Anne of Avonlea.  This book begins when Anne is 16 ½ and is just getting ready to teach school for the first time.  Anne has just gotten into hot water because her Jersey Cow, once again, pillaged Mr. Harrison’s oats.  Mr. Harrison is new to Avonlea and is considered quite the crank – mean, dirty, and crude. 

Anne often compounds her troubles with her impulsiveness and this time is no exception.  Soon after this incident, she comes upon the jersey cow once again causing trouble and makes the rash decision to sell it.  Only later does she realize it was Mr. Harrison’s own cow she sold instead of her own!

Dreading a visit to cranky Mr. Harrison to explain her terrible mistake, she packs a lovely cake, hoping to ease the bad news.  Surprisingly, the visit turns into tea and lively conversation with the gruff old man that Anne herself had considered “the ugliest person she had ever seen”.  Over time, Anne and Mr. Harrison become friends and kindred spirits. 

Anne has learned a valuable lesson.  Look past a person’s gruff, ugly exterior and you just might find a hidden treasure – a truly kindred spirit.

And it never hurts to bring cake when delivering bad news!

Goodnight Moon

By Margaret Wise Brown

Pictures by Clement Hurd

Copyright 1947

Countless children have this book as part of their bedtime ritual.  The words have a gentle, lulling effect on an overtired, restless spirit.  In Goodnight Moon, a little bunny is getting ready to go to sleep.  He looks at everything around him and as the dark closes in, he says goodnight to each object in turn.

 

It can be difficult for a child (or anyone, for that matter) to let go of the events of the day and relax enough to fall asleep.  What helps this bunny calm down is the assurance that he is safe, his room is as it should be, and when he says goodnight, he knows that everything will still be there when he wakes.    

Another calming influence is that gentle, quiet old lady whispering hush. 

Goodnight Moon is a beautiful, poetic book and needs no lesson.  But if you search for one, what you can see is that our demeanor can have a substantial effect on those around us.  Likewise, the mood of those around us can cause our tempers to change.  Like that quiet old lady whispering hush, we too can help soothe the restlessness of people around us.

Simplicity Sewing Book

1958 

Sewing clothing is one skill I never picked up.  I’ve looked through the pattern books at fabric stores and thought about how accomplished I would feel piecing together an outfit from scraps of material, yet I never had the patience to give it a try.  

The model on the cover of this Simplicity book sure appears to love sewing her own clothes.  Just look at how she gently caresses her cheek with the pattern.  If I wanted to, I too could learn 28 kinds of seams and 16 kinds of hems.  Detailed instructions for 6 different garments are included in this book.  Pictured below is just one lovely item that I could make.  

At least I know that the pink blouse is the right color for me.  The Simplicity Sewing book has taught me that color is one of the best of beauty aids.  By looking at the handy chart, I see that someone with brown hair and blue eyes should wear light blue, pink, light brown, orange, or green.  At least I think that’s orange.  The colors may have become a little distorted over the last 58 years since the book was published.

While I think I’ll stick to browsing the racks at resale and consignment shops for my clothing, I really do admire those with the skill to make their own.  I also feel quite thankful that I live in a time when I don’t have to sew my own clothes.  After all, if I had that chore to do, when would I find the time to read?

The Muppet Movie

Adapted by Steven Crist

1979

Can the story of a bunch of cute and furry puppets really be inspiring?  Apparently so, especially to a 13-year-old with a thing for frogs.  I got this book shortly after the original Muppet Movie came out, and from the looks of it, I paged through it over and over again.  The pages are falling out and the binding is taped, but this is one that will not get weeded from my collection.  

The best parts for me are the songs sung by Kermit.  The story opens with him sitting on a log in his swamp home, plucking on a banjo, singing a song about rainbows. 

 

Why are there so many songs about rainbows, and what’s on the other side?

Kermit loves his home, yet sometimes feels the urge to look for something more. 

He did decide to leave the comfort of his swamp and had many adventures along the way, even narrowly escaping with his life.  He met new friends and formed new dreams.  It was tough at times, but in the end, worth it.  

The story ends like it began – with a song.   Kermit again – but this time joined by the friends he met along the way.  They followed their dreams – wrote their own ending – took some chances. 

      Rainbows are memories, sweet dream reminders --
      What is it you'd like to do?
      All of us watching and wishing we'd find it,
      I know you're watching it, too.
      Someday you'll find it, the rainbow connection,      The lovers, the dreamers, and you!