There is a great deal of comfort in seeing the continuity of life across the generations. And, there is a lot to be gained listening to the stories of those who have gone before us. In Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney, we are able to witness the influence of a grandfather on his granddaughter, Alice. Alice later takes what she has learned from her grandfather and passes it on to her great-niece.
As a little girl, Alice enjoys a special relationship with her grandfather. Her grandfather is an artist who lives by the sea, making figureheads for ships and painting beautiful pictures. Alice helps her grandfather in his workshop during the day. And she listens intently to his tales of faraway places in the evenings.
Alice wants to be like her grandfather in many ways. She plans to travel to faraway places. She plans to one day come home to live by the sea. Her grandfather says that these are good plans, but that she must also do something else. She must do something to make the world more beautiful. Alice accepts the challenge, but she does not yet know what she will do.
As the story continues, Alice grows up and moves away from the sea. People now call her Miss Rumphius, and she works as a librarian. Alongside her work, she keeps her dreams to accomplish her three goals alive within her. Eventually, she does travel to far away places. And she does later come home to live by the sea.
But she realizes that she has only done two of the things that she had promised her grandfather that she would do. She finds that her grandfather’s challenge to make the world more beautiful is the hardest of the three. She continues to ponder what she can do to make the world more beautiful. And one day, she suddenly knows what it is that she can do. And she sets about putting her plan into action.
At the story’s end, Miss Rumphius is an elderly woman. Sometimes the neighborhood children come to see Miss Rumphius in her house by the sea. They like to listen to her stories of faraway places. Among those listening is her great niece, Little Alice. Little Alice, like Miss Rumphius before her, is drawn to following in her great, great grandfather’s footsteps. She too longs to travel to far away places and come home to live by the sea. She also accepts the challenge to do something to make the world more beautiful. But what will that be?
In Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney, we see the influence across generations come full circle. Barbara Cooney’s lavish illustrations bring the story to life. The rich details often allow you to peek into the next room or see the reflection of objects in a mirror. A careful observer will notice that paintings that hung in grandfather’s workshop now hang in Miss Rumphius’s home by the sea. This adds to the sense of continuity from one generation to the next. If you enjoy the richness of these illustrations, you will also enjoy Barbara Cooney’s illustrations in Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran.