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190th out of 2,253 books
—
3,519 voters
Miss Rumphius
Now children can enjoy popular, best-selling Puffin books recorded on high-quality cassette tapes. They can read along with the book or just listen and enjoy the lively narration--complete with music and sound effects throughout each and every story. Pre-readers will love looking at all the wonderful illustrations as they learn to recognize words and expand their vocabular...more
Paperback, 32 pages
Published
November 6th 1985
by Puffin
(first published November 8th 1982)
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Jan 25, 2009
Dolly
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
parents reading with their children
Nicely illustrated story with a wonderful message. A young girl tells her grandfather that she wants to go to faraway places and when she grows up, to live beside the sea. Her grandfather's reply:
"That is all very well, little Alice," said her grandfather, "but there is a third thing you must do."
"What is that?" asked Alice.
"You must do something to make the world more beautiful," said her grandfather.
The young girl grows up and follows his advice, accomplishing all that she set out to do. An...more
"That is all very well, little Alice," said her grandfather, "but there is a third thing you must do."
"What is that?" asked Alice.
"You must do something to make the world more beautiful," said her grandfather.
The young girl grows up and follows his advice, accomplishing all that she set out to do. An...more
My mother read me this story when I was a child and it greatly impacted and inspired me. I carry this story with me-and intend to read it to my kids. It reminds me of Maine and my favorite flower as well-and it reminds me that even the smalled action can make the world a little better!
When I read this story for the first time, Miss Rumphius reminded me of my grandmother, who was then an older lady still making time to travel the world and see Egypt and other places that to me sounded mystical and exotic. She kept her own garden in the yard of her little house in Florida, and while her flowers were nothing like those in the story of Miss Rumphius they added a small touch of beauty to the place. The artwork in this story is itself a work towards adding beauty to the world: the...more
My favorite childrens' book - with a lot to teach adults too. This gorgeous book tells the story of one person's quest to make the world a better place and teaches that everyone can do something, no matter how small, to improve life for everyone else. Plus I like to think it's set in Maine, which makes it even better. Please read this book, go forth and do something to make the world a better place. Even if you do not know yet what that thing might be.
i will always remember the first time i read this and i thought "i also want a house by the sea, and adventures, and to do something useful and good" and i am almost, kinda, sorta there :) such a good book for children and adults and pretty much everyone...
Alice Rumphius lived with her grandfather. She wanted to grow up to be just like him -- travel, live by the sea. He said she had to do one more thing -- "You must do something to make the world more beautiful." Throughout the course of the story, Alice grows up, travels, and moves by the sea. Still discouraged about her third life purpose, Miss Rumphius finally finds her own way to make the world more beautiful and to pass along the message of her grandfather.
This is a beautiful book. Miss Rumph...more
This is a beautiful book. Miss Rumph...more
Category: Picture Book, American Book Award Winner
Audience: Ages 4-8
Brief Description: Miss Rumphius travels and strives to make the world a better place right on her own doorstep.
The beginning of this story did not pull me in immeidately. It starts out fairly wordy and my initial thought was that this isn’t something that would intrigue a child. However, after the first couple of pages when Miss Rumphius begins to explore and travel the reader becomes more intrigued with the story. Additionally...more
Audience: Ages 4-8
Brief Description: Miss Rumphius travels and strives to make the world a better place right on her own doorstep.
The beginning of this story did not pull me in immeidately. It starts out fairly wordy and my initial thought was that this isn’t something that would intrigue a child. However, after the first couple of pages when Miss Rumphius begins to explore and travel the reader becomes more intrigued with the story. Additionally...more
This is a children's book, but it really represents a lovely philosophy. Young Alice is told that there are three things she must do in her life:
1) She must travel to far away places.
2) She must live by the sea.
3) She must make the world more beautiful in some way.
She travels a bunch and then settles in a little house by the sea. She wonders how to make the world more beautiful and ends up growing lots and lots of pretty flowers.
I have traveled a lot and will travel more. I don't know if I wi...more
1) She must travel to far away places.
2) She must live by the sea.
3) She must make the world more beautiful in some way.
She travels a bunch and then settles in a little house by the sea. She wonders how to make the world more beautiful and ends up growing lots and lots of pretty flowers.
I have traveled a lot and will travel more. I don't know if I wi...more
2 likes · like · see review
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Miss Rumphius is a book about a very cool lady. She does great stuff and brings beauty into the world. This is the kind of book that grownups buy and read and think is great but it's not really for kids. Or it's for a very certain type of kid...hmmm. I'll have to think on it. But the illustrations are top notch by Barbara Cooney, as is the story, but it's more of a lesson than a story.
Grade/interest level: K-2
Reading level: 680L
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Main Characters: Miss Rumphius
Setting: many different places
POV: Miss Rumphius niece
Miss Rumphius is a story about a girl named Alice Rumphius who grew up to plant Lupine flowers across her community. As a child, Alice would sit and listen to her grandfather tell stories of his travels and how much he enjoyed living by the sea. Inspired by these stories, Alice promises to follow in his footsteps. Her grandfather made her promise...more
Reading level: 680L
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Main Characters: Miss Rumphius
Setting: many different places
POV: Miss Rumphius niece
Miss Rumphius is a story about a girl named Alice Rumphius who grew up to plant Lupine flowers across her community. As a child, Alice would sit and listen to her grandfather tell stories of his travels and how much he enjoyed living by the sea. Inspired by these stories, Alice promises to follow in his footsteps. Her grandfather made her promise...more
She wasn’t always called the Lupine Lady or even Miss Rumphius, when she was young they called her Alice. She lived in a city by the sea with her grandfather who told her stories of faraway places. Alice vowed to visit many faraway places and when she grew old she too would live in a city by the sea. But her grandfather said there was a third thing, “You must do something to make the world more beautiful.” Alice didn’t know what that could be, but she promised. When Alice grew up into Miss Rump...more
Oh my word! I can't believe I didn't have this on my list already! I read this book two times every year, always on the last day of school, once to my morning group and once to my afternooners and I choke up and cry every single time. You see, this is my COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS to my darling fifth graders. It's a picture book--won't take you long--so I won't explain it all here, but I tell the children, you will all probably have a chance to go to faraway places, you might even get to live by the s...more
May 16, 2012
Lydia
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
books-that-focus-on-language-play,
cause-and-effect-books,
children-s-books,
civil-rights-movement,
creativity,
critical-literacy,
generosity,
friendship,
good-to-teach-about-adjectives,
good-to-teach-about-author-s-purpos,
feelings,
good-to-teach-nouns,
good-to-teach-prediction,
imaging,
in-the-community,
informative,
perseverance,
picture-books,
problem-solving,
read-aloud-favorites,
repetition,
social-justice,
women-activists,
responsibility,
varied-use-of-punctuation,
plants,
teaches-writing-to-children
Winner of the American Book Award in 1982, Miss Rumphius continues to leave all her readers inspired to see and create more beautiful in the world. Young Alice wants to travel the world when she grows up - just like her grandfather. While he believes that dream to be "all good and well" there's one more thing he tells her she must do. She must, "do something to make the world more beautiful."
As Alice grows and travels the world she holds the task of her grandfather close to heart: Do something t...more
As Alice grows and travels the world she holds the task of her grandfather close to heart: Do something t...more
The Lupine Lady was not always an old woman, a long time ago, she was a young girl named Alice. She loved spending time with her grandfather, an artist, and in the evenings he would tell her stories of is travels and faraway places.
Alice dreamed of living by the sea and traveling to distant places, but her dear grandfather told her that there was a third thing that she must do. Alice must also make the world a more beautiful place.
That is quite an undertaking for a young girl, but as she grew,...more
Alice dreamed of living by the sea and traveling to distant places, but her dear grandfather told her that there was a third thing that she must do. Alice must also make the world a more beautiful place.
That is quite an undertaking for a young girl, but as she grew,...more
Miss Rumphius.
Cooney, Barbara (author).
Nov. 1982. 32p. illus. Viking, hardcover, $13.95 (0670479586). Ages 4-8.
REVIEW. First published March 7, 2011 (Akibird).
As a winner of the American Book Award and New York Times’ Best Book of the Year, Miss Rumphius is the beautiful tale of Alice, who longs to be like her grandfather by traveling the world and growing old by the sea. However, her grandfather encourages her to accomplish a third task: make the world more beautiful. Exemplifying her tradem...more
Cooney, Barbara (author).
Nov. 1982. 32p. illus. Viking, hardcover, $13.95 (0670479586). Ages 4-8.
REVIEW. First published March 7, 2011 (Akibird).
As a winner of the American Book Award and New York Times’ Best Book of the Year, Miss Rumphius is the beautiful tale of Alice, who longs to be like her grandfather by traveling the world and growing old by the sea. However, her grandfather encourages her to accomplish a third task: make the world more beautiful. Exemplifying her tradem...more
This book has been sitting on my shelf for quite a while and I keep bumping into the title here and there so I decided to read it.
I could almost believe this story to be a true one considering how lupines grow in the Spring in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. They are called garden lupines and are said to be runaway plants from early gardens.
I expected to be more charmed by the story than I actually was. I agree that people should try to make the world a more beautiful place, but perhaps a sli...more
I could almost believe this story to be a true one considering how lupines grow in the Spring in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. They are called garden lupines and are said to be runaway plants from early gardens.
I expected to be more charmed by the story than I actually was. I agree that people should try to make the world a more beautiful place, but perhaps a sli...more
Barbara Cooney's Miss Rumphius tells the story of a little girl, Alice, who lives with her grandfather. She listens to the tales of travel and a home by the sea and determines to follow suit. "But," says her grandfather, "that is not enough, there is still one thing more you must do." Alice must find a way to leave the world more beautiful and she does.
Barbara Cooney's beautiful watercolor and pencil illustrations set the tone for the simple, elegant prose of her beloved picturebook. The images...more
Barbara Cooney's beautiful watercolor and pencil illustrations set the tone for the simple, elegant prose of her beloved picturebook. The images...more
Jul 07, 2010
Lisa Vegan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
those who enjoy beautifully illustrated picture books
Recommended to Lisa by:
Abigail
Thanks to Goodreads friend Abigail who recommended I might continue considering giving this book a try, despite her rather lukewarm response to it and (perfectly valid) criticisms of it. I have an additional criticism to the ones Abigail listed, but its minor, very minor, and doesn’t detract from the wonderful illustrations, which for me are the heart of the book. I’d have been happy had this been a wordless picture book!
The illustrations are incredibly lovely. They’re all beautiful. I love illu...more
The illustrations are incredibly lovely. They’re all beautiful. I love illu...more
6 likes · like · see review
Sep 26, 2012
Vernon Area Public Library
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
picture-books
Little Alice Rumphius' Grandfather told her "You must do something to make the world more beautiful." And that's exactly what Alice did. After many years as a librarian and as a traveler to far-away places, Miss Rumphius settled down into a house by the sea. One day, remembering her Grandfather's advice, she went on a walk through her village, spreading Lupine flower seeds wherever she went. By the next spring, flowers were everywhere! Was this a giant action? No, it was just a simple action of...more
Here is a story actually written by the classic illustrator of more than one hundred other books. A little girl living in a busy port city dreams of traveling to faraway places. Which she does - to a tropical island, to jungles, to snowy mountains - and remains single, and happy ("almost perfectly"), before finally retiring to a seaside village where she takes to scattering the seeds of blue and purple lupines, and setting an example for the neighboring children "to make the world more beautiful...more
Even as a parent reading this over and over to my children while we lived in Vermont, I was so effected by the notion that the seeds we sow are enjoyed by others far beyond our ability to comprehend, that I planted lupine seeds in our garden just to remember that small truth. Lupines don't grow here in Utah like they do back East. I miss the East coast. Sniff.
2 likes · like · see review
I want to give this 4.5 or almost 5 stars... BUT. It has this great life lesson, that we should do what we can to make the world a more "beautiful" place, and through her life, Miss Rumphius does all sorts of things that make the world better, happy, beautiful for others. However, I think it's a book that really needs a lot of discussion with the adult reader for little ones, because on the surface it seems to say "make the world pretty" and doesn't explicitly acknowledge that Miss Rumphius's ex...more
Miss Rumphius and her grandfather are inspiring characters! Traveling the world, living by the sea, and making the world a more beautiful place are creative goals. These goals propel the story forward and leave room for us, readers, to wonder how our little narrator will accomplish her mission to fulfill these three goals. Most of the illustrations have an ideal and delicate sort of feel to them, probably from the use of curving lines. However, the straight lines used in the illustrations of the...more
'that is all well and good little alice, but there is a third thing you must do- you must do something to make the world more beautiful'
this book was given to us, I cannot recall by whom. but we very much like the idea. alice, lived her life and went all over and then in the end had to take her grandfathers advice. she chooses to do this with lupines, and sowing them all over her town. i love this idea and have even bought some lupines to do the same with. we shall see if we can cover the town...more
this book was given to us, I cannot recall by whom. but we very much like the idea. alice, lived her life and went all over and then in the end had to take her grandfathers advice. she chooses to do this with lupines, and sowing them all over her town. i love this idea and have even bought some lupines to do the same with. we shall see if we can cover the town...more
Mar 29, 2012
Randie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
picture-books,
grandparents
Before she was known as Miss Rumphius, Alice lived by the sea and spent time with her grandfather. She always wanted to travel and shared this with her grandfather. He encouraged her to do so but also challenged her to make the world a more beautiful place. At first, she did not know how she would accomplish this but she does. After Alice has grown up, traveled the world, and made the world more beautiful she takes on the same mentor role as her grandfather did for her and offers the same challe...more
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What a wonderful story Cooney has written and illustrated, portraying the beauty of life and all it holds. I absolutely loved this book. The illustrations were soft, smooth, and beautiful smeared in blues, violets, and many more colors. This book exceeds greatness in it's description of cherishing the beauty of life. It depicts the excitement of travel, and expanding your knowledge throughout the world in different cultures and places. I love the relationship of family in the story, between the...more
A new heroine! An aunt and a one time librarian and a gardener. All with an inspiring message.
I typically only rate the books I love, so most of my ratings on this site for pre-school/young readers will be 5-star reviews. Miss Rumphius is a fabulous book and all around great life lesson on how everyone can make the world a more beautiful place. I want to plant Lupines in my garden as a reminder!
This story is a heart warming one. Out of all the childhood books I had as a little girl, this was my absolute favorite. At my gentle yet demanding request, my mother would read this book to me every night. The bond we fostered with this book is still fresh and dear to me to this day. I will never forget how the illustrations captured my imagination. Every time I would read this book I would want to plant lupines, just like the lady in the story. I wanted to make a difference like she was, make...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCC Children's Li...: Miss Rumphius - Challice | 1 | 1 | Apr 04, 2012 07:39pm | |
| Book Club/Troubles: Miss Rumphius | 2 | 4 | Oct 02, 2011 09:54am |
