Book Description
The illustrations for this series were created by Scott McKowen, who, with his wife Christina Poddubiuk, operates Punch & Judy Inc., a company specializing in design and illustration for theater and performing arts. Their projects often involve research into the visual aspects of historical settings and characters. Christina is a theater set and costume designer and contributed advice on the period clothing for the illustrations.

Scott created these drawings in scratchboard ­ an engraving medium which evokes the look of popular art from the period of these stories. Scratchboard is an illustration board with a specifically prepared surface of hard white chalk. A thin layer of black ink is rolled over the surface, and lines are drawn by hand with a sharp knife by scraping through the ink layer to expose the white surface underneath. The finished drawings are then scanned and the color is added digitally.

One thing’s for certain, no house that Anne’s in will ever be dull.” That’s what Marilla Cuthbert says about Anne, the lively red-headed orphan she and her brother Matthew adopt. For decades, girls have agreed, eagerly reading every book in Lucy Maud Montgomery’s series that chronicles Anne’s coming of age.

FROM OUR EDITORS

When mischievous orphan Anne Shirley arrives at the Cuthbert farm Green Gables, she knows she wants to stay forever. One of the best-loved & most enduring books in all of children's literature, written with sweetness and charm. Ages 10 & up

ANNOTATION

Anne, an eleven-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to live with a lonely, middle-aged brother and sister on a Prince Edward Island farm and proceeds to make an indelible impression on everyone around her.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Marilla and Matthew want to adopt an orphan boy to help out on the farm. By mistake, they are sent spunky red-haired Anne instead. At first, it seems that wherever Anne goes, trouble follows. She hits a boy over the head with her slate at school. Then she falls off the neighbor's roof during a game of truth or dare! But as she grows up, all of Avonlea comes to love Anne of Green Gables.

SYNOPSIS

Anne, an 11-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to live with a lonely, middle-aged brother and sister on a Prince Edward Island farm and proceeds to make an indelible impression on everyone around her. A Reader's Catalog selection. 288pp. Hardcover.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

This simplified picture-book retelling of how the 11-year-old orphan comes to Prince Edward Island is adapted from L.M. Montgomery's classic. Ages 5-8. (Apr.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

Anne Shirley is back with her sentiment, sweetness and loquaciousness in this new edition of the all-time favorite girl's classic. L. M. Montgomery's partially autobiographical orphan's tale first saw the light of day in 1908 and was so successful that it was followed by many sequels. Yet it is the original book that is the heart of the story, a story still strong enough to bring hordes of visitors on pilgrimage each year to Prince Edward Island in search of the fictional Anne's haunts. Fernandez and Jacobson, the Canadian husband and wife team of illustrators, have done a lovely job of illustrating this edition, particularly in the ink and watercolor sketches of flowers, pitchers, buckets of apples and other comfortable everyday things strewn through the pages. The only complaint is that they didn't make Anne's original nemesis Mrs. Rachel Lynde fat! 2000, Tundra Books. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: Kathleen Karr

Library Journal

Montgomery is the latest author to join Running Press's ongoing "Courage Classics'' series of budget hardcover reprints of classic works. Along with the full text, this edition includes excerpts from the author's journal. Also new in the line is Short Stories and Tall Tales by Mark Twain ( ISBN 1-56138-323-6 ), which offers pieces gleaned from Running Press's The Unabridged Mark Twain . At this bargain price, both titles are excellent choices.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-The nostalgic charm of Avonlea comes alive in Lucy Maud Montgomery's heart-warming tale set on the quaint island of Prince William about an aging brother and sister, Mathew and Marilla Cuthbert, and their decision to adopt a young boy to help with chores around their farm. However, as the result of a misunderstanding the boy turns out to be a feisty, independent, and wildly imaginative redheaded girl named Anne. Marilla's first reaction to this news is, "What use is she to us?" Wherein Mathew replies, "We might be of some use to her." Throughout this moving story these two statements mix and meld together so richly and completely that they become one truth. Three lives are changed so dramatically that none can imagine life without the others. Each new day brings a new set of adventures, often hilarious and always uplifting. Anne's vivid and overactive imagination is the cause of many mishaps, but her saving grace is her heart of gold. Her best friend and "kindred spirit," Diana, and her handsome admirer, Gilbert Blythe, often find themselves unintentional victims of Anne's escapades. Narrator Shelly Frasier's pleasant voice is especially enjoyable during the rapid ramblings of Anne and as the soft-spoken, slow-paced Mathew. Her voice reflects the human qualities of each character, switching seamlessly between broken and despaired, curt and crisp, or dreamy and absent-minded. This perennial classic, divided into convenient three minute tracks and containing a short biography of the author, is a must have for expanding audiobook collections.-Cheryl Preisendorfer, Twinsburg High School, OH Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

AudioFile

[Editor's Note: The following is a combined review with THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER.]—Imagination is key to both these classics. Young Anne ("Anne with an e"), adopted into a Prince Edward Island household, uses her imagination and determined spirit to fill her world with hopes and aspirations. And the "dreamings and readings" of the pauper Tom Canty set off the cascade of mistaken identities that comprise Twain's famous tale. The St. Charles Players offer amusing adaptations of these stories with accessible, appealing performances. Here is family listening to entertain different ages and interests. The casts are a bit uneven, but each has some outstanding roles. These are not sophisticated productions, but the spirit of these classics is undaunted—like Anne of Green Gables herself. R.F.W. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine Read all 8 "From The Critics" >

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