Miss Rumphius facts for kids
Front Cover of Miss Rumphius
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| Author | Barbara Cooney |
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| Illustrator | Barbara Cooney |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Picture book |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
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Publication date
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November 1982 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 32 pp (first edition) |
| ISBN | 978-0-14-050539-9 |
| OCLC | 12724739 |
| [E] 19 | |
| LC Class | PZ7.C783 Mi 1985 |
Miss Rumphius is a beloved picture book for children. It was written and illustrated by Barbara Cooney and first published in 1982. The story is about a fictional woman named Miss Alice Rumphius. She wants to make the world more beautiful. She finds a special way to do this: by planting beautiful lupine flowers everywhere.
The real "Lupine Lady," Hilda Hamlin, inspired the book. She spread lupine seeds along the coast of Maine. Barbara Cooney's own travels also helped inspire the story. The book has won several awards. Barbara Cooney shared the 1983 National Book Award for Children's Books with William Steig. The National Education Association also listed it as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children." In 2012, School Library Journal ranked it among the "Top 100 Picture Books." The Lupine Award and the Miss Rumphius Award are named after this special book.
Contents
The Story of Miss Rumphius
The book begins with a narrator introducing "The Lupine Lady." She is an old woman who lives in a small house by the sea. The narrator then tells the story of her Great Aunt, Miss Rumphius, starting when she was a little girl named Alice.
Young Alice's Dream
Young Alice lives with her grandparents near a busy shipping town. Her grandfather used to travel the world by ship. Now, he carves figureheads for ships. At night, he tells Alice exciting stories about faraway places. Alice dreams of traveling the world herself. She tells her grandfather she will visit distant lands. Then, she will settle down by the sea when she is old, just like him.
Her grandfather agrees this is a good plan. But he adds one more important thing. He tells her, "You must do something to make the world more beautiful." Alice promises to follow his advice. However, she isn't sure yet how she will do it.
Miss Rumphius's Travels
As Alice grows up, she becomes Miss Rumphius. She works in a library, helping people find books. There, she learns even more about faraway places. In her free time, she loves visiting a conservatory. She enjoys seeing exotic plants and dreaming of where they came from. Eventually, she decides it's time to see these places for herself.
Her first trip takes her to Indonesia. There, she becomes friends with the king of a fishing village. From there, she travels to many other places. She climbs snowy mountains, walks through jungles, and crosses deserts. She sees all the faraway places she dreamed of. During her travels, she hurts her back. This makes her decide it's time to find her own place by the sea.
Making the World More Beautiful
After returning to America, Miss Rumphius finds a cottage. It overlooks the water, just as she planned. Now an older woman, she remembers her grandfather's advice. She wonders how she can "make the world more beautiful." Her back injury makes it hard for a while.
As she rests, she admires the lupine flowers outside her window. She then finds a patch of them growing on the cliffs nearby. This gives her an idea! She realizes how she can complete her final goal.
She orders many lupine seeds. Then, she starts scattering them everywhere in her community. She throws them along cliffside roads, near buildings, and in fields. People who see her think she is a bit strange. But the next spring, everyone understands. Her community bursts with colorful lupines growing everywhere. She has truly made the world more beautiful.
A New Generation's Promise
The story ends with the young narrator, who is also named Alice. She tells readers that her Great Aunt Alice is now very old. Children from the town visit her, thinking she is the oldest woman in the world. Miss Rumphius shares stories of her amazing adventures.
Just like her great aunt, young Alice says she wants to see the world. She also wants to "come home to live by the sea." But then, the elder Alice reminds her of the third important thing. She tells the younger Alice that she must also "do something to make the world more beautiful." The young narrator admits that, just like her great aunt when she was young, she doesn't "yet know what that can be."
Film Adaptation
A film based on Miss Rumphius was made in 2000. Spellbound Productions, Inc. and Weston Wood Studios created it. Sarah Kerruish directed the film, and Claire Danes narrated it. The movie is about 16 minutes long. You can watch it in both Spanish and English. The film won the UNICEF Prize in 2002. It also received a Bronze Plaque in 2001.
