Miss Rumphius

This is my absolute favorite book from childhood. I think it honestly may have influenced my adult life- I spent almost 10 years abroad, and I also thought- "ok, I have traveled the world, I have lived by the sea, now I just have to do something to make the world a more beautiful place." I have given this book as a gift to many children, most recently my goddaughter. I hope it will have the same effect on her as it did on me. Miss Rumphius is a beautiful woman!

Wow; this book is really something special! True, it might make you cry, but for all the right reasons. It causes the reader to pause and think about what really matters in life. The artwork is beautiful, the story unique. I am so glad to share this with my children. Miss Rumphius details an adventure filled life, all the while seeking to make the world a more beautiful place, by doing something all her own. How will she accomplish this task? The reader must find out, because I'm not going to spoil it for you! :) I encourage anyone to read this book!

I believe Lupines are an invasive species, are they not? So while the flowers may look pretty, Miss Rumphius is really not doing the world any favors by scattering seeds for plants that will outcompete other "pretty flowers" that are native to the region. This may not have been known or understood at the time the book was written. While it's hard to disagree with the general sentiment of the book, it fall short of presenting a good example of how to leave the world better than you found it. Don't mean to be snarky, but between this and the wooden Indian issue mentioned by another reviewer, this book's message seems to be overshadowed by its misguided examples. Maybe in a few more decades the story will be so obviously outdated as to be quaint, as is the case with many much-loved classics in which we recognize but allow ourselves to overlook their flaws.

As a preschool teacher and director for 40 years, I have many favorite children’s books. Miss Rumphius has been on my top five list since the first time I read it many years ago. The book has a rich storyline and an uncle instructs her that it is important to do something to make the world a better place. She sows lupine seeds as she walks and her flowers dot the countryside.

I'm pretty disappointed with the condition this book came in. I planned to give it as a gift. I think it should have been wrapped in plastic at least. There were a few minor flaws like a couple of light scratches on the cover (barely noticeable in the picture) and some weird bleed through on the dedication page, but the real disappointment was that most of the pages were noticeably wavy, like they had been exposed to moisture. You can easily feel it when you touch the pages and it's very visible under direct light.

This is one of my favorite books to read to children. Wonderfully illustrated, it is a very compelling story about a girl on a quest to see the world, live by the sea, and make the world more beautiful. It takes a lifetime for her to accomplish her goals, particularly the third, which is the hardest of all. She accomplishes this goal not once, but twice. The story leads to great discussions with kids about our obligations to our world and each other.

Themes: This book is about dreams and plans for the future. It is about the importance of not just living IN the world, but also enhancing it.

Summary: As a child, Miss Rumphius lived with her grandfather, who was an artist by the sea. When she told her grandfather that when she grew up she planned to travel the world and then live by the sea, her grandfather advised her that she should do something to make the world more beautiful. Miss Rumphius ended up fulfilling all her personal dreams and, after struggling for an idea, was eventually inspired to make the world more beautiful by helping spread lupine flowers. Now she tells her great-niece Alice (who has some of the same dreams) to be sure to do something to make the world more beautiful too.

Illustrations: The illustrations seem to be in a beautiful "naive" style--very angular, slender, and almost motionless. They are done in acrylics with prismacolor pencil accents, and they establish the settings of the book (the house by the sea, and various exotic places of the world), which is important because, as Miss Rumphius discovers, "The world is already pretty nice."

I highly recommend this book.

A sweet story that goes much deeper. With beautiful illustrations both artistically and philosophically about how we should live our lives. I purchased this book for the graduates in my life and it has become a standard in my teaching of young children. I like to talk about Miss Rumphius as someone we should all strive to be more like. A great read but look beyond the actual meaning and let it speak to you about where you can improve the quality of your living.

Duing a summer past I had the joy of discoveing this book at a local library. My friends and I were home from college and hd spent the afternoon reliving our childhoods in the children's section reading aloud to each other. When Miss Rumphius began, both the story and the illistrations had us captivated. I recommend this book to readers of all ages, who still believe in the power of love and imagination.

A book to be enjoyed by anyone with a soul.