Anne Arrives by Kallie George and Illus by Abigail Halpin

I was a little skeptical of this book. I mean how can you distill LM Montgomery into a short little picture book? 

BUT it really only handles a chapter or two per book (because other books are in the works!), so it isn't wildly condensed.

And it is illustrated by Abigail Halpin who happens to be a favorite of mine.

End papers

Floral borders are the best.

Wild roses and Mrs. Lynde puzzling over Matthews unprecedented trip to Carmondy in the middle of the day. 

Rachel Lynde going over to grill Marilla about circumstances. 

Anne waiting patiently.

The thing about favorite books being turned into illustrated versions is things do not always look exactly how they look in your head. The White Way of Delight looked differently. And it wasn't sunset yet. 

I feel like I need to reread this just so I can see if I was missing some details. Because that is entirely possible. 

Discussing the burden of red hair.

Disappointment.

Communing with the Snow Queen outside her window.

Anne determined to be happy even though she was being sent back.

The red roads of Prince Edward Island

And then the delight of staying and getting to name the geranium on the window sill.

Mrs. Lynde receiving mortal offense. 

Anne in high dudgeon. 

Anne, crowned and boqueted with wildflowers. 

Emily of New Moon by LM Montgomery

Since we were talking about magic, I thought I might as well trot out Emily of New Moon. 

LM Montgomery has always tended toward magic and the unexplained. While that tendency is kept in check through most of her books, it peeks out every once in awhile. Emily of New Moon is one of those times. 

(This is a newer edition of the book, but I really like the cover. I think it is my favorite of the ones I own.)

Since Emily is an orphan sent away to live with elderly relatives on a farm, people sometimes think Emily and Anne are pretty similar. But Emily is supposedly more autobiographical, and is definitely a few shades darker than Anne ever got. Situations for Emily were not as sure to end well as they did for Anne. 

(This was the cover that we got when I was a teen--mid 1990's.)

Of course, there are other differences between the two books as well--Emily lived with her father until she was 8-10. So she had sweet memories to sustain her when her relatives didn't understand her and her poetic flights of fancy. Similarly, she also was grieving on a level Anne never got to since Anne couldn't remember her parent's death. 

But similarly, Emily settles into her new life, just like Anne, with a close friend or two; austere older relatives who soften up and love her; and an imaginative, poetic mind. 

The difference is that the ending here has a deeper level of magic than any of Anne's experiences. A fevered hallucination brings a long unsolved mystery to a close. 

I would say I like Anne better, but Emily is more relateable in many ways. So.... both are definitely worth reading! 

Anything by LM Mongomery is worth reading though, so that's not surprising. 

(This cover was the first one I read, probably early/mid-1980's.)

I took these picture last summer (why am I so bad at getting posts up on time?!) and I MISS wildflowers. We have three inches of fresh snow from last night..... Spring IS coming. We had a day in the 50s this week, so we are getting closer! 

The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery

This book. This BOOK. Both of my parents loved this book, so it has always been around. And when I read it as a young teen, I fell instantly in love with Valancy and Barney and Barney's cabin in the Ontario wilderness. 

It was one of the first love stories I ever read, so it ended up being a definitive romance. Every story since has been measured up against Valancy and Bernard. I know, I know. NOT romantic names. But they can't be blamed for what their parents called them. 

(Also, wild roses. I took these pictures last June, but never got it posted. Oh for wild rose days! They will be here soon, I guess. But this part of winter always seems to drag....)

Valancy is a sheltered spinster of 29, Bernard the local suspicious person who doesn't care what anyone else thinks. Not caring about what other people thinks in rural Ontario in the early 1900s was a pretty dire statement on someone's character. Clearly a person to steer clear of.  

After Valancy goes to the doctor for a chest pain and finds she has a terminal condition, she flouts her family's expectation and goes to care for a local, unwed mother. While there, she meets Bernard who comes to visit the lonely girl. Bernard is interesting in a way her family never was. Eventually, with a return to her family's home in the offing, Valancy goes to Bernard and proposes to him. She tells him of her terminal condition, which means he would not have to be married for ever. She argues they get along well and she could take care of his house, so why not? Why not indeed?

Much to her family's consternation, Valancy goes junketing off as Bernard's new wife. 

And of course, in the misty, purple evenings on a tiny island in a lake in Ontario, Bernard and Valancy become the best of friends and slowly begin to realize they are in love.

A little melodramatic, but oh! Going against society, finding a kindred spirit, a private island no matter how tiny, and a dramatic ending---how could I not love this book? 

There are times in this book that Lucy Maud talks a little too much. Some of the family chatter at the beginning seems a bit excessive. But it is entirely worthwhile to overlook these minor flaws. 

If you haven't already read this, give yourself a treat and do so. If you have already read it, give yourself another treat and read it over. I think I have read it about ten times.  

Singing Away the Dark by Caroline Woodward & Julie Morstad

This book? I adore it. My reasonings:

1. Julie Morstad--she could illustrate practically anything and I would love it

2. Peace River Valley of British Columbia--the author is from here, so theoretically, this little girl is too. My dad drove the Alaskan Highway a lot in the 1970's, so I grew up here phrases like, "When we were passing through the Peace River Valley..." and things like that. Nothing major, just part of the collected, random things of childhood that leave an impression. 

2. b. Canada in general--my mom is a Canadian. So I tend to like Canadian things. 

3. I had to wait and wait and WAIT for this book. I pre-ordered it for May, but for whatever reason, didn't get it until late summer. Deferred pleasure is always sweeter, right?

4. Singing. Singing makes EVERYTHING better. 

The thing about Julie Morstad is that everything she illustrates just looks instantly precious. The book hasn't even BEGUN here and already, I am smitten. Mittens! 

A young momma in a flannel shirt. Yes!

The basic story is of a young girl, having to walk across lots (or farms) to get to the bus stop. 

It was a long way to the bus stop, and in Northern BC, it doesn't get light until later in the day

This picture brought to mind that part of Anne of Green Gables where Anne and Diana let their imagination get away with them, making it practically impossible for them to walk through the woods alone without fearing greatly for their lives. 

But, she has to get through the woods. 

So she sings. Which lightens the darkness.

Once the dark is vanquished, there is a new worry--cattle. But she is not to be daunted. 

This neighbor looks like an interesting person to have a cup of tea with.

Finally! 

And school! 

I seriously, seriously love this story and art!!

Mom, Dad, Our Books, and Me by Danielle Marcotte & Illus by Josée Bisaillon

I was so excited to find this book. The blurb on Amazon says--

Reading takes many forms. Some of us read novels, while others read cookbooks, sheet music, tarot cards, or even the stars in the sky. We read clocks, train schedules, and facial expressions. In this ode to reading, each form is lovely and worth celebrating. Mom, Dad, Our Books, and Me follows a young boy and those around him — parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and neighbors — as they all read, immersed in what moves them. 

Doesn't that sound marvelous?! A delightful revel in the world of reading. 

It follows a young boy around as he discovers what reading is like in the real world. For some inexplicable reason, this isn't a book that makes me heart squeal with joy. It is lacking a something or other, but it is a book that I can love and appreciate.

Plus the author and illustrator are from Montreal. And with a mother who grew up just outside Montreal, I have a soft spot for all things Canadian. 

Mom reads, Dad reads. 

And I read, too!

Reading as a family activity. Yes!!

Unfortunately, the pets cannot join in.

Everyone around me reads.

(If only every little kid were this lucky.)

After five or six pages, Grandma's head is in the clouds. 

Grandpa takes cover beneath a canopy and sinks into his novel.

Cookbooks--

a kitchen scented with eggplants and thyme.

Music books--

wonderful stories made of sound.

Vacation reads, bathtub reads.

Reading the weather.

Facial expressions--

love poems in her boyfriend's eyes. 

The emotions we feel when reading.

Books are unifying, not divisive. 

I do really love this book.