LUCY MAUD MONTGOMERY

A gracefully written and prettily presented account of the author of one of the most beloved children’s books of all time. Montgomery was born on Prince Edward Island and raised by her elderly and strict grandparents. But she found worlds in the books she read and in the water, trees and natural history of the island. She kept a journal, loved local stories and made time to write. She attended Dalhousie University, sending out manuscripts again and again: “Nine out of ten manuscripts came back to me.” But she did achieve astonishing success; she married and had children and became the first Canadian female member of the Royal Society of Arts in England. Any young reader will see much of Anne of Green Gables’s life in Maud’s, and will delight in her comment that what she liked best to read and to write was “a good, jolly [story].” Wallner’s telling keeps the biography simple, though her pictures are nicely detailed and full of color, pattern and line. She infuses the story with Montgomery’s emotions by quoting from her writing, sourcing the quotes in the backmatter. (list of books, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 7-10)