Freckles

This was my favorite ever childhood book. I longed to go to Freckle's special place in the woods. It seemed like the most lovely place to be. As an adult I still remembered this book longingly and my sister found a copy of the book for me and surprised me with it! I enjoyed it as much as I did as a child!

My Grandmother's study/library was a special priviledge , given me to visit and dream in all on my own, as I was an only child (boy), and apparently the only kid of a whole bunch of cousins to be trusted there (I later found out why my cousins seemed a bit jealous of me.) and there I long ago found, read, and re-read "Girl of the Limberlost". At 76 y/o, fond memories return...the Tuesday washdays (Grandma had the only washing machine, a Blessed Improvement on handwashing, in a family radius of 20-30 miles in rural Missouri, and Tuesdays were our "assigned" day. It was also very special to an otherwise isolated only child living a mile outside of "the County Seat!, population mid to upper 300's) because I got to play with my 2 or 3 (out of 4) boy cousins across the road, but the young male contingent was way too rowdy for nearness (as in "Don't even THINK about it, you wild Indians!) the "Special" stuff in that Special room in that Special home (like a real Victrola that played 78 rpm's). There were books on those elegant hand-carved shelves dating back to mid 1800's, including a leather-bound, gold cover printing War Between the States memoir with engraved illustrations of the actual scenes portrayed in writing, entitled: "The Sword and the Pen", that was willed to me by Grandmother, but lost decades later in a flood. And now to find that there is a SERIES! Wonderful!

I read this at an impressionable age and fell in love with stalwart Freckles and the Limberlost Swamp and his Angel. Pretty sentimental by today's standards, this book champions saving the forests and wetlands. The descriptions are beautiful and evocative. A great romance.

I first read "Freckles" when I was 12 (it was my Mom's favorite when she was a child, and my Dad bought me a copy for my 12th birthday).To this day, I re-read it whenever I feel stressed and need a lift. It's a wonderful evocation of a simpler, more wholesome time. Freckles is a character that is both strong and vulnerable, and you just can't help but love him. Although some of the language is archaic now, the book is full of "nuggets" of pure enchantment (the "Mother Duncan, do kisses wash off?" speech comes to mind). This book is a treasure-- don't miss it!