Beyond the Pawpaw Trees: The Story of Anna Lavinia

It all began on a lavender blue day--the kind of day when anything can happen. It was on such a day that Anna Lavinia's father saw a double rainbow and went chasing after it. And it is on such a day that she and her cat, Strawberry, set off on their journey beyond the walled garden where the pawpaw trees grow, to a place where the buttercups bloom pink and the laws of gravity don't always apply. Here Anna Lavinia will test her mother's advice "Never believe what you see," against her father's words "Believe only what you see," and just maybe she'll finally be able to use the mysterious silver key her father left behind when he went chasing after rainbows.

Maybe my expectations were too high. But I expected more from this sweet old-fashioned story than a bit of twee, a bit of word-play, a very strange mother, and a series of safe adventures. Maybe a crazy amount of word and logic play like Alice in Wonderland would have saved it. Or maybe if our MC were actually a heroine on a quest, instead of a passive little girl, then it would have been more interesting. Or maybe if the cat, Strawberry, had a personality, or if there were some deeper meaning....

I have to admit; I have mostly bad luck with this NYRB series. They've republished some of my favorites (Thurber!), but mostly their taste does not match mine. If you have liked more of their books, add this to your list; it might be perfect show more for you. show less

It all began on a lavender blue day. The kind of day, Anna Lavinia knows, when anything can happen. It was on such a day that Anna Lavinia’s father saw a double rainbow, and went chasing after it. And it is on such a day that she and her cat Strawberry set off on their journey beyond the walled garden where the Pawpaw trees grow, to a place where the buttercups bloom pink and the laws of gravity don’t always apply. Here she will test her mother’s advice, “Never believe what you see,” against her father’s wise words, “Believe only what you see.” And just maybe she will get to finally use her father’s mysterious silver key.

Rather delightful, in the dreamlike vein of Alice in Wonderland or the Phantom Tollbooth. It's one of those stories in which nothing is wasted - every little detail, however small or whimsical, comes back to be useful later on.

An dreamlike children's fantasy. It has a surreal quality that I am not used to. Anna Lavinia is growing up in an unhappy home, with a missing father and a miserable mother. One morning her mother sends her alone on a long train trip to visit her aunt, for no particular reason. Partway through the trip, the engineer gets left behind, and Anna Lavinia, her cat, and the train journey on together, until they get to where the tracks meet, the end of the line. Anna Lavinia thinks perhaps she should be concerned, but since everything seems to be going all right, she doesn't bother. She continues on in this unflappable way, through ever stranger adventures.

I would have loved this book when I was about eight. But I think this is a children's show more book that does not work as well for adults, no matter how much we want it to. show less

A Young girl leaves her home for the first time to pay her aunt a visit, but gets caught alone in a runaway train, which takes her to a magical land.
Meh. A product of its time and genre. Flat characters skipping along in a plot that is just one silly thing after another, clearly meant to entertain the very young with no real appeal to audiences older than, say, 8.

I had never heard of this book before, perhaps because it was out of print for many years. Then I heard what a wonderful book it was on a book blog. I'd been looking for a "first" chapter book to read aloud to my five year old daughter. It is back in print now, so I ordered a copy.

It is such a charming story. It was written in the 1950's. It is the story of a girl named Anna Lavinia who lives with her mom in a distant house far away from neighbors and the village. When she finally ventures out beyond the grove of paw paw trees to visit her aunt by train, Anna Lavinia begins what is to become a magical journey to distant lands full of secrets and surprises.

I had so much fun reading this book for the first time as an adult. I can only show more imagine how much better it must be for a child to read this. My five year old LOVED it. Every night we read one or two chapters and she would race through her bedtime routine, just because she was so excited to hear more of the story. There are very cute pencil sketch drawings on almost every page (sometimes every other page.)

I think there is a second book and it is coming back to print in April 2012. I definitely will read that to my daughter as well and I look so forward to continue Anna Lavinia's adventures. This was the best chapter book ever to read to your young children and a great book for anyone of all ages to enjoy. I count myself lucky to have discovered this book. show less