The Golden Name Day

I must have only had a chance to read this a couple of times when I was young, because not a whole lot of the details stuck with me.

Enough of them do that I know this was one of the books that was a big influence on me: the Swedish Almanac with its list of a name for each day of the year, the yellow roses, the interesting names for the animals, May Day baskets, and just the overall joy and love that saturates every bit of the story. So much sunshine, and cheer; everything these folks do is a celebration of life and thankfulness.

And rereading it now gives me shivers of joy. I so want a copy of my own, but it's apparently scarce, unavailable at my favorite sellers. I'll keep looking, though.

In the meantime:
"Elsa had read a great many show more library books and so was able to use interesting phrases like "deep in conversation," when most people would simply have said "talking"."

Must look up the girls' favorite storybook, [b:The Cuckoo Clock|6801346|The Cuckoo Clock|Mrs. Molesworth|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348357488l/6801346._SY75_.jpg|1184544].

Two of the girls, not sisters, are somewhat synesthetic (though that word is not used). I don't remember that, but otoh, I wasn't surprised when I learned of the trait as an adult.

Here's a craft for a party: "Miss Lane had cut out a cardboard star and made many small holes in it so that buttercups could be stuck in to cover it entirely."

One of the other reasons I want the book is that there are lots of other ideas for crafts, recipes, and activities. I am going to photocopy the page with the pattern for the May Day basket... I'm tempted to photo the whole book if I can't find a copy to buy!

(This copy ILL from Western State College Library, Colorado.)
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Reread from univ. of MO Columbia for Newbery discussion:

Nancy has to be parted from her Mama, sick in the hospital, and her Papa, with a full-time job and nobody to cover for him, for a year, so she goes to live with Grandma and Grandpa and Karl the Twelfth and the other animals and the cousins down the road and the aunt & uncle on the farm. Sometimes her loneliness for her own parents overwhelms her, but all these lovely people know so much about friendship & joy, and have such zest for celebrating all of life's milestones, that only one funk lasts for more than a few hours. And that is resolved in such a delightful way that all of us, including Nancy and her readers, are glad she had that growing experience.

This was a childhood favorite, and also a Newbery Honor book. I'm sure the committee gave it the prize (at least in part) because a young reader can learn a lot about traditional Swedish culture, and learn that the immigrants love America even better than their homeland. I'm sure they also loved the wholesome values of family & community, or courage & compassion.

What I loved most when young were the details. A name day sounded like a great idea, and if I ever had a daughter I wanted to give her a Swedish name. And I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood where I could put May baskets on doorknobs. And yellow roses wallpaper, and a buttercup star, and a floral crown....

This time that I read it I made the connection to another of my very favorite books from childhood, [b:The Secret Garden|231815|The Secret Garden|Frances Hodgson Burnett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442934240l/231815._SX50_.jpg|3186437]. It's not just the obvious of a girl who needs roses put in her cheeks and a boy in a wheelchair but in the joy of glory of the natural world and healing power of flowers, and hay, and kittens. (Come to think of it, there's a bit of a resemblance to [b:Heidi|93|Heidi|Johanna Spyri|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388462714l/93._SX50_.jpg|1738595] here, too.)

The illustrations are typical [a:Garth Williams|30916|Garth Williams|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1229211360p2/30916.jpg]: marvelous animals and clothing, furniture, etc, but a little difficulty with people's faces sometimes. show less

A city girl whose mother is very ill goes to live in the country with her grandparents, and spends a spring and summer playing with her cousins and enjoying life on a farm.
This one melted into syrupy sweetness, mixed with the cloying annoyance of a sad girl complaining and getting everything she wants. So, well, kind of ew. The one saving grace here are the illustrations by Garth Williams.

This was my absolute favorite book in elementary school. I read it several times, and I really need to put some work into finding a copy for myself. I can still picture the yellow rose wallpaper the MC got in her bedroom.

NA

Ex-lib. Tompkins County library