"We saw a shadow on your son's lungs," is what they told us. He was ten months old. We were frozen. What could the shadow be? It could be anything. There's a universe of possibilities about that shadow. It could be bad or it could be the end of the world. It was his stomach, it turns out. He had a hiatal hernia: the hole for his esophagus was too big. His stomach, and most of his intestines, had slipped up around his lungs. All things considered, this is a fixable problem. Over the next year, he...

I am giving this 4 stars mostly for Ms. Cooney's lovely illustrations. The story was pretty but not engrossing, and many children in the picture-book age group may be too restless for the rather passive account. I tended to like very active books as a kid, though! I would definitely recommend this if you or your child happen to be fond of flowers.

If my mom had a nickel for every time she read this story to me . . . she'd be a millionaire. That's how much I loved it. I still think it's one of the greatest books ever written, and I wouldn't be the same person I am today without it.

Beautiful concept, beautifully rendered.Beautiful.

Beautiful story and beautiful illustrations.

I like this book. It tells the story of Great Aunt Alice known as the Lupine lady. She wanted to travel - very smart and she wanted to live by the sea. He father told her that was very well, but she also needed to do something to make the world a more beautiful place. Her father was amazing he craved wood statues to be the figureheads for ships or Indians outside cigar stores that were beautiful. He was a craftsman. Miss Rumphius sailed away and became a librarian. After returning home from her

As I try to review the books that were read to me as a child, I come across a dilemma: I cannot review them all. Most of the books of my childhood, even when I read them now, aren't experiences I can easily put into words. Feelings of nostalgia are generally difficult for me to capture and I end up saying too much or not saying anything at all.This book is an exception. I have just enough to say and I don't think I'll ever tire of it. The story is about the life of a woman called Miss Rumphius (...

I found this little gem by coincidence when a friend here reviewed it. I had never heard of the Lupine Lady (Hilda Hamlin) nor of the book before, but went on and did a little research.Since I like trees and flowers immensely, I think it's a wonderful way of "beautifying the world". Often it's the little things that count so why not flower seeds?Apparently, this is a well-known classic but just in case you have never heard of it (like me until last Friday), here's a little summary:Miss Rumphius

September 2018I've always loved books and even as an adult I continue to love children's books. Sometimes when I'm feeling blue re-reading them and enjoying the pictures is a particular peaceful comfort for me. Not only do I love the wonderful illustrations in this one, I think the message is profound. "Do something to make the world more beautiful."December 2021As I reread this time I thought how the "something to make the world more beautiful" is so varied. Miss Rumphius scattered lupine seeds...

Nicely illustrated story with a wonderful message. I have read this book many, many times and I've even gotten the book (along with a tshirt with one of the interior illustrations screened on it) as a Christmas present. It's one of my favorites.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

"You must do something to make the world more beautiful..." What a beautifully empowering book with gorgeous illustrations! Would love to have them framed and in my study to cheer me up daily.

"You must do something to make the world more beautiful." said her grandfather. Alice promised her grandfather that she will do something to make the world beautiful. She also wants to go to faraway places and live by the sea. When she grows up, she starts her journey and visits different places and then she settles in a place by the sea. she plants flowers in her garden and when she walks up the hill, she realizes that the seeds she planted must have been carried by the wind and the birds. Alic...

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...

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

Here's another 1980s picture book that I somehow missed when I was a kid. I hadn't heard of Miss Rumphius before, but the cover was intriguing.This is a gentle little story about a girl who grows up with the aim of doing three things: go to faraway places, live beside the sea, and do something to make the world more beautiful. The illustrations clearly show the progression of time, probably from the Victorian era to the "present" day (keep in mind that this was published in 1981). It's refreshin...

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!

I purchased a copy of this to give to my niece, who even at the tender age of infancy cannot escape my literary ministrations. It's told by a great-niece, which charmed me even more. My parents live in a place where lupines are plenty, so I hope she grows up associating the story with that. The illustrations are simply charming, and Miss Rumphius has the most enviable picture book wardrobe. What I would do for her green cape! Little Niece is already making the world more beautiful just by being

A beautiful story about self-improvement and making the world a better place!

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...

This is the story of Alice Rumphius, who when she was a girl told her grandfather that when she grows up she wants to go to faraway places, and when she grows old she will live beside the sea. Her grandfather agrees, but adds "You must do something to make the world more beautiful". Alice's life story of going to faraway places, living by the sea when she's old and beautifying the world is told to us by her great niece toward the end of Alice's life. BEAUTIFULLY illustrated by the author, I know...