akin to anne

There are little gremlins at work, because I was "randomly" partnered up with my new bosom friend Naomi for two more children's lit swaps by the supposedly impartial Swap-Bot computer. And this is after we'd already plotted to do a 1:1 Christmas swap together--hmm! Curiouser and curiouser.

At any rate, one of the swaps was something I created for lovers of Anne Shirley. Everyone was to send a gift to her partner inspired by Anne of Green Gables, meaning something that might have actually belonged to Anne. I printed out a autumnal poem written by L.M. Montgomery--did you know she wrote poems? I didn't, but somehow I'm not surprised--with pretty graphics that I mounted in a vintage frame, along with a be-ribboned bookmark featuring a vintage image and one of my favorite Anne quotes. I also sent a pretty pearl necklace similar to the strand that Matthew Cuthbert gave Anne for the thrilling concert at White Sands.

As Anne says, "Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world," and I'm very glad I got to send these particular presents to someone who has become such a dear friend from afar.

Through this group, I'm actually learning quite a bit about my rather egocentric view on the world. I'd always assumed that books by L.M. Montgomery and Laura Ingalls Wilder were beloved the world over (I know Anne is especially popular in Japan, for example), but as it turns out they aren't quite as well known as I'd thought in some other countries. One of the things I hope we'll accomplish with The Hundred Acre Wood group is that our members will find new books to love, in addition to sharing their own favorites with others. I know my "to-read" list has grown since the group's inception, and I hope that this is true for everyone else as well.