Marguerite de Angeli

Marguerite de Angeli

My first introduction to Marguerite de Angeli was at my grandmother's house when I was a little girl. I  found a very worn and tattered copy of Thee, Hannah in the guest bedroom, that room with floor to ceiling bookshelves on both sides of the bed and a walk-in cedar closet, packed out with wonderful vintage, dress-ups. 

I bought myself a new copy of Skippack School more than a decade ago, while visiting my college roommate out in Lancaster County. I recognized the sweet faces of the boys on the cover as being similar to those in Thee, Hannah.  Josiah and I have enjoyed this story, set outside of Philadelphia in Germantown in 1750, of pupil Eli Shrawder and  his school master and friend,  Master Christopher Dock, more than once. 

Despite my early acquaintance with Ms. de Angeli, I didn't fully appreciate her contributions to children's literature in the last century until, once again, at a used book sale I acquired an old library copy of The Door in the Wall. 

It is wonderful. We loved it. It is the story of Robin, a boy of noble birth living in London in the 14th century, who learns to overcome his crooked legs, a disability left him by an illness (probably the black plague that was sweeping through Europe at that time). He is rescued by Brother Luke, a kind friar, who nurses him back to health and teaches him how to use his hands in useful employment. But more than that, Brother Luke teaches him to care about others, to think about others, and to act courageously on behalf of others. 

One of my objects in reading with Josiah this year has been to read books that stimulate discussions about character. What character qualities do I want my boys to emulate, what do I want to hold up for them to strive towards? The Door in the Wall is a story about courage. Courage, from the Latin cor, heart, is "that quality of mind which enables men to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness, or without fear." A quality I would be most pleased to see my boys display. 

It seems once a name is on your radar, it pops up all over the place, so perhaps I am the last person in the world to be aware of how wonderful the books are of this Michigan-born author and illustrator. I have since found two more of her books in my house, stuck on my shelves, by me, but unbeknownst to me.

By chance Marguerite de Angeli is not on your list of "authors and illustrators to look for", take this as a heads up. Her stories inspire noble thoughts and her illustrations are beautiful.