PEOPLE IN AMERICA - Barbara Cooney

PEOPLE IN AMERICA - February 24, 2002: Barbara Cooney

By Avi Arditti

ANNCR:

Now, the VOA Special English program, PEOPLE IN AMERICA.

Today, Shirley Griffith and Steve Ember tell about the life of Barbara Cooney, the creator¹ of many popular
children’s books. She died in March two-thousand.

(THEME)

VOICE ONE:

For sixty years Barbara Cooney created children’s books. She wrote some. And
she provided² pictures for her own books and for books written by others. Her name
appears on one-hundred-ten books in all.

The last book was published six months before her death. It is called "Basket
Moon." It was written by Mary Lyn Ray. It tells the story of a boy who lived a
century ago with his family in the mountains in New York state. His family makes
baskets that are sold in town. One magazine describes Barbara Cooney's paintings in
"Basket Moon" as quiet and beautiful. It says they tie together "the basket maker’s
natural world and the work of his craft³."

VOICE TWO:

Barbara Cooney was known⁴ for her carefully detailed⁵ work. One example is in her artwork
for the book "Eleanor." It is about Eleanor Roosevelt, who became the wife of President
Franklin Roosevelt. Mizz Cooney made sure that a dress worn⁶ by Eleanor as a baby was
historically correct down to the smallest details.

Another example of her detailed work is in her retelling of "Chanticleer and the Fox." She
took the story from the "Canterbury Tales" by English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. Barbara
Cooney once said that every flower and grass in her pictures grew in Chaucer's time in
fourteenth-century England.

VOICE ONE:

Barbara Cooney wondered at times if her concern about details was worth the effort. "How many children will
know or care?" she said. "Maybe not a single one. Still I keep piling it on. Detail after detail. Whom am I
pleasing -- besides myself? I don't know. Yet if I put enough in my pictures, there may be something for
everyone. Not all will be understood, but some will be understood now and maybe more later."

Mizz Cooney gave that speech as she accepted the Nineteen-Fifty-Nine Caldecott Medal for "Chanticleer and the
Fox." The American Library Association⁷ gives the award each year to the artist of a picture book for children.

She received a second Caldecott Medal for her folk-art paintings in the book "Ox-Cart Man."

VOICE TWO:

Barbara Cooney’s first books appeared in the nineteen-forties. At first she created
pictures using a method called scratchboard.

The scratchboard is made by placing white clay⁸ on a hard surface. Thick black ink is
spread over the clay. The artist uses a sharp knife or other tool to make thousands of

(Photo - Douglas Merriam)

small cuts in the top. With each cut of the black ink, the white clay shows through.
To finish the piece the artist may add different colors.

Scratchboard is hard work, but this process can create fine detail. Later, Barbara
Cooney began to use pen and ink, watercolor, oil paints, and other materials.

(MUSIC BRIDGE)

VOICE ONE:

Barbara Cooney was born in New York City in Nineteen-Seventeen. Her mother was an artist and her father sold
stocks¹⁰ on the stock⁹ market. Barbara graduated from Smith College in Massachusetts in Nineteen-Thirty-Eight
with a major in art history.

During World War Two Barbara Cooney joined the Women's Army Corps¹¹. She also got married, but her first
marriage did not last long. Then she married a doctor, Charles Talbot Porter¹². They were married until her death.
She had four children.

VOICE TWO:

Barbara Cooney said that three of her books were as close to a story of her life as she would ever write. One is
"Miss Rumphius," published in nineteen-eighty-two. We will tell more about "Miss Rumphius" soon.

The second book is called "Island Boy." The boy is named Matthias. He is the youngest of twelve children in a
family on Tibbetts Island, Maine. Matthias grows up to sail around the world. But throughout¹³ his life he always
returns to the island of his childhood. Barbara Cooney also travelled around the world, but in her later years
always returned to live on the coast of Maine.

VOICE ONE:

The third book about Barbara Cooney’s life is called "Hattie and the Wild Waves." It is based on the childhood
of her mother. The girl Hattie lives in a wealthy family in New York. One days she tells her family that she wants
to be a painter when she grows up. The other children make fun of the idea of a girl wanting to paint houses.

But, as the book explains, “Hattie was not thinking about houses. She was thinking
about the moon in the sky and the wind in the trees and the wild waves of the
ocean."

Hattie tries different jobs as she grows up. At last, she follows her dream and
decides to "paint her heart out."

(MUSIC BRIDGE)

VOICE TWO:

Of all of Barbara Cooney's books, the one that seems to affect people the most is "Miss Rumphius." It won the
American Book Award. It was first published in Nineteen-Eighty-Two by Viking-Penguin. "Miss Rumphius" is
Alice Rumphius. A young storyteller in the book tells the story which begins with Alice as a young girl.

VOICE THREE:

"In the evening Alice sat on her grandfather's knee and listened to his stories of
faraway places. When he had finished, Alice would say, 'When I grow up, I too will
go to faraway places, and when I grow old, I too will live beside the sea.

"That is all very well, little Alice,' said her grandfather, 'but there is a third thing you
must do.'

"'What is that?' asked Alice.


"You must do something to make the world more beautiful,' said her grandfather.
"'All right,' said Alice. But she did not know what that could be.
"In the meantime¹⁴ Alice got up and washed her face and ate porridge for breakfast. She went to school and came

home and did her homework.
"And pretty soon she was grown up.
"
VOICE ONE:
Alice traveled the world. She climbed tall mountains where the snow never melted¹⁵. She went through jungles and

across deserts. One day, however, she hurt her back getting off a camel.
VOICE THREE:
"'What a foolish thing to do,' said Miss Rumphius. 'Well, I have certainly seen faraway places. Maybe it is time to

find my place by the sea.' And it was, and she did.

Miss Rumphius was almost perfectly¹⁶ happy. 'But there is still one more thing I have to do,' she said. 'I have to do
something to make the world more beautiful.
'
"But what? 'The world is already pretty nice,' she thought, looking out over the ocean.
"
VOICE TWO:
The next spring Miss Rumphius' back was hurting again. She had to stay in bed most of the time. Through her

bedroom window she could see the tall blue and purple and rose-colored lupine [pronounced 'loo-pin] flowers she
had planted the summer before.

VOICE THREE:
"'Lupines,' said Miss Rumphius with satisfaction. 'I have always loved lupines the best. I wish I could plant more
seeds this summer so that I could have still more flowers next year.
'

“But she was not able to.
"
VOICE ONE:
A hard winter came, then spring. Miss Rumphius was feeling better. She could take walks again. One day she

came to a hill where she had not been in a long time. "'I don't believe my eyes,' she cried when she got to the top.
For there on the other side of the hill was a large patch¹⁷ of blue and purple and rose-colored lupines!'"

VOICE THREE:
"'It was the wind,' she said as she knelt¹⁸ in delight¹⁹. "It was the wind that brought the seeds from my garden here!
And the birds must have helped.' Then Miss Rumphius had a wonderful idea!
"

VOICE TWO:
That idea was to buy lupine seed -- lots of it. All summer, wherever she went, Miss Rumphius would drop

handfuls²⁰ of seeds: over fields, along roads, around the schoolhouse, behind the church. Her back did not hurt her
any more. But now some people called her "That Crazy Old Lady."
The next spring there were lupines everywhere. Miss Rumphius had done the most difficult thing of all. The

young storyteller in the book continues:
VOICE THREE:


"My Great-aunt Alice, Miss Rumphius, is very old now. Her hair is very white. Every year there are more and
more lupines. Now they call her the Lupine Lady. ..
.
"'When I grow up,' I tell her, 'I too will go to faraway places and come home to live by the sea.
'
"'That is all very well, little Alice,' says my aunt, 'but there is a third thing you must do.
'
"'What is that?' I ask.
"'You must do something to make the world more beautiful.'
"
VOICE ONE:
Many readers, young and old, would agree that Barbara Cooney did just that.

VOICE TWO:
Many of Barbara Cooney's later books took place in the small northeastern state of Maine. She spent summers
there when she was a child, then moved to Maine in her later years.

She loved Maine. She gave her local library almost a million dollars. The state showed its love for her. In
nineteen-ninety-six, the governor²¹ of Maine declared Barbara Cooney a State Treasure.
(THEME)

ANNCR:
This Special English program was written by Avi Arditti and produced by Paul Thompson. Your narrators²² were
Shirley Griffith and Steve Ember. Adrienne Arditti was the storyteller. Join us again next week for another
PEOPLE IN AMERICA program on the Voice of America.

 

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1 creator   

n.创造者，创作者，缔造者；造物主，神

参考例句：

• He was without doubt the creator of the Roman Empire.毫无疑问,他是罗马帝国的创始人。
• One creator cannot have two procedures with the same name.一个创建者不能有两个同名过程。

2 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

3 craft   

n.工艺，手艺；小船，飞机；行业；诡计

参考例句：

• The harbour was full of pleasure craft.港口满是游艇。
• He's a master of his craft.他有一手好手艺。

4 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

5 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

6 worn   

adj.用旧的，疲倦的；vbl.wear的过去分词

参考例句：

• The child's trousers have worn through at the knees.孩子裤子的膝盖处磨破了。
• My shoes are worn out.我的鞋子穿坏了。

7 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

8 clay   

n.黏土；泥土

参考例句：

• The children like making houses of sticks and clay.孩子们喜欢用树枝或黏土盖房子玩。
• What a love of a clay doll!多么可爱的泥娃娃！

9 stock   

n.存货，储备；树干；血统；股份；家畜；adj.存货的；平凡的，惯用的；股票的；畜牧的；vt.进货，采购；储存；供给；vi.出新芽；进货

参考例句：

• The shop takes stock every week on Friday mornings.这家商店每星期五早晨盘点存货。
• Experts have forecast an upturn in the stock market.专家已预测股票市场价格有上升趋势。

10 stocks   

n.（树木等的）干( stock的名词复数 )；公债；家系；家族

参考例句：

• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse. 经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They want to unload the stocks on the market. 他们想把股票在市场上抛售掉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

12 porter   

n.搬运工人；守门人，门房

参考例句：

• The hotel porter will help you.旅馆的门童可以帮你的忙。
• The porter and I looked at each other and smiled.我和脚夫微笑着你看着我，我看着你。

13 throughout   

adv.到处，自始至终；prep.遍及，贯穿

参考例句：

• These magazines are sold at bookstores throughout the country.这些杂志在全国各地书店均有发售。
• Guilin is known throughout the world for its scenery.桂林以山水著称于世。

14 meantime   

n.其时，其间；adv.同时，当时

参考例句：

• I continued working,meantime,he went out shopping.我继续工作，这期间他出去买东西。
• In the meantime we pressed on with the airlift.与此同时，我们加紧进行空运。

15 melted   

v.（使）融[溶，熔]化( melt的过去式和过去分词 )；溶解；（使）消散，消失；（使）软化，变得温柔

参考例句：

• Melted wax dribbled down the side of the candle. 熔化了的蜡一滴滴从蜡烛边上流下。
• The crowd quickly melted away when the storm broke. 暴风雨袭来时人群很快地四散了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

17 patch   

n.补丁；斑；一小块地；vt.补，修补

参考例句：

• This patch looks a bit unprofessional.这块补丁有点像出自外行之手。
• We managed to patch our quarrel.我们设法平息争吵。

18 knelt   

v.跪( kneel的过去式和过去分词 )；(kneel的过去式与过去分词)

参考例句：

• They knelt down and prayed. 他们跪下来祷告。
• She knelt in supplication. 她跪地祷求。

19 delight   

n.高兴，愉快；vt.给（某人）乐趣；使愉快；vi.喜爱

参考例句：

• Your new book is a real delight!你的新书真讨人喜欢！
• He takes delight in annoying me.他以惹我生气为乐。

20 handfuls   

一把（的量）( handful的名词复数 )； 用手抓起的数量； 少数人（或事物）； 难以控制的人（或动物）

参考例句：

• We shall take part in it as handfuls of dust and splinters of bone. 我们将是作为一撮尘土，几根枯骨参加将来的生活。 来自英汉文学
• He reached gloomily into one of his trees and picked handfuls of fruit. 他闷闷不乐地把手伸到一棵树上，摘下一把水果来。

21 governor   

n.统治者，地方长官(如省长，州长，总督等)

参考例句：

• The governor was an expert at fencing with reporters.这位州长是搪塞新闻记者的能手。
• He was elected governor of the state of California.他当选为加州州长。

22 narrators   

（故事的）讲述者，（戏剧、电影等的）解说员( narrator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The narrators have a mordant contempt for everyone and everything, including themselves. 叙述者们都尖酸刻薄地蔑视一切人和事，包括他们自己。
• Germany Pavilion's virtual narrators Jens and Yan Yan will guide visitors to tour the pavilion. 德国馆的虚拟解说员“严思”和“燕燕”将会带领游客参观展馆。