October for Anne Shirley...

From Anne of Green Gables
by Lucy Maud Montgomery

source

Excerpt from Chapter XVI: "Diana is Invited to Tea with Tragic Results"

October was a beautiful month at Green Gables, when the birches in the hollow turned as golden as sunshine and the maples behind the orchard were royal crimson and the wild cherry trees along the lane put on the loveliest shades of dark red and bronzy green, while the fields sunned themselves in aftermaths.

Anne reveled in the world of color about her.

"Oh, Marilla," she exclaimed one Saturday morning, coming dancing in with her arms full of gorgeous boughs. "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn't it? Look at these maple branches. Don't they give you a thrill--several thrills? I'm going to decorate my room with them."

"Messy things," said Marilla, whose aesthetic sense was not noticeably developed. "You clutter up your room entirely too much with out-of-doors stuff, Anne. Bedrooms were made to sleep in."

"Oh, and dream in too, Marilla. And you know one can dream so much better in a room where there are pretty things. I'm going to put these boughs in the old blue jug and set them on my table."

My October view: It's not Green Gables, but it's Home.

LAUREN CHILD, POST #4

new illustrations for some old classics...
Pippi
I think Lauren Child's collage-style art is the perfect complement to Astrid Lindgren's offbeat story about every child's favorite 9-year-old Swedish heroine, PIPPI LONGSTOCKING. Take a look at some of her illustrations...
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindren, illustrated by Lauren Child (2007)

Anne
But I have to admit, when I first saw Lauren Child's depictions of Anne Shirley on the covers of Puffin's reissue of the Anne of Green Gables books I wasn't sure if the fit was as perfect.  Child's style is so contemporary and Montgomery's books are so old-fashioned and classic!  A couple of things made me reconsider my initial impression: 
#1-This quote by Anne Shirley: "There's such a lot of different Annes in me. I sometimes think that is why I'm such a troublesome person. If I was just the one Anne it would be ever so much more comfortable, but then it wouldn't be half so interesting." 
#2-This fact:  did you know that Astrid Lindgren loosely modeled Pippi Longstocking after Anne Shirley??  After discovering this tidbit in a Rutger's article, I think it was genius that the same illustrator would draw both characters.  And I can't honestly think of anyone better than Child - she really captured their spirits.

It's exciting to know that Lauren's book covers will draw a new generation of young reader's to Lucy Maude Montgomery's classic stories...don't you think so?

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (2009) 












Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (2009)

Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery (2009)