Miss Rumphius

Alice Rumphius makes three promises: to travel to faraway places, to live by the sea when she’s old, and—most importantly—to do something to make the world more beautiful. But how does one person make an entire world more lovely?

This Caldecott-winning classic tells the true story of the Lupine Lady of Maine, whose brilliant solution was as simple as scattering seeds wherever she wandered. The result? Hillsides and roadsides bursting with purple, pink, and blue lupines that still bloom along the Maine coast today.

Barbara Cooney’s luminous illustrations—now beautifully reoriginated from the original artwork—capture the sweep of Alice’s adventures and the quiet magic of her legacy. Each page glows with the kind of gentle wisdom that makes this book a treasure to return to, year after year. Winner of the American Book Award, Miss Rumphius has inspired generations of readers to ask themselves: What will I do to make the world more beautiful?

Perfect for young dreamers and nature lovers, this is a story about:

• Following your heart across oceans and mountains
• Finding home in unexpected places
• Leaving the world better than you found it
• The transformative power of small, persistent acts of beauty

The original art now resides in the Bowdoin College Museum of Art—a fitting home for a story that has taken root in countless hearts. Whether you’re discovering it for the first time or sharing it with the next generation, Miss Rumphius blooms anew with every reading.

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