Saturday, July 01, 2017

Anne of Green Gables Treasury

Anne of Green Gables Treasury. Carolyn Strom Collins and Christina Wyss Eriksson. 1991. 208 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: Although both of us read and loved the Anne books as children, we became intrigued with them again when our daughters began to read them several years ago. We found ourselves enjoying these "children's books" even more as adults than we had as children!

Premise/plot: In Anne of Green Gables Treasury, the authors share their research with fans of all ages. Their research started with making lists of what their daughters wanted to know more about as they read through the series. The authors also added questions of their own. (I'm sure as they did research, they found out things they weren't particularly searching for but found fascinating enough to include. That's just how research is!)

The book is divided into sections:

L.M. Montgomery and the Anne books. Provides a brief biography of the author, L.M. Montgomery, a map of Prince Edward Island, brief summaries of each book in the series along with a picture of each original cover, a map of Avonlea, and Anne's family tree.

Anne's World. Provides descriptions of Green Gables then and now, a map of Green Gables and Anne's favorite places, and house plans for Green Gables.

Through the Years. Provides readers with context for Anne's world by including an extensive timeline. The timeline starts in 1866 with Anne Shirley's birth, and, concludes in 1919 with the ending of Rilla of Ingleside. Some facts are from the Anne books, and others are from the real world.

School Days, Special Days. Provides readers with information about what nineteenth century life was like in and out of the classroom. (This section includes summer and Christmas.)

Tea Time. Provides readers with ideas for hosting their own tea parties. Includes information about brewing tea, and recipes to prepare for all four courses.

Busy Hands. Provides readers with Anne-themed craft projects. For example, how to press flowers, how to sew a baby bonnet, how to make their own potpourri, how to crochet lace, etc.

In Fine Fashion. Provides readers with descriptions of fashions of the day.

In the Garden. It's no surprise to fans that Anne loved the great outdoors and loved flowers. This section is all about flowers and garden projects.

In Conclusion. The authors encourage readers to think of themselves as Anne's kindred spirits.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed some chapters of this one. I do love the Anne books, and, I can see how this one would have been really POPULAR when it came out in 1991. It's still a good read for fans, but, I'm not sure how practical it is as a cook book or craft book.

© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

1 comment:

Paula Vince said...

I have the exact same edition, which I probably bought around 1991 when it was new. I loved the coloured pictures, but don't think I ever used any of the recipes or craft instructions either. Still love having it on the shelf though 😊