'Guess what! Maybe Pitchfork is going to have a library'

Emily’s Runaway Imagination | Book

Cleary, Beverly Atlee Cleary, is one of America’s most popular writers of children’s fiction. 

And well, she’s quite popular amongst book enthusiasts as the creator of Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins and Ralph S. Mouse!

Today’s blog post would attempt to give a little insight into one of Cleary’s most interesting novels, [a semi-autobiographical novel at that!] titled, Emily’s Runaway Imagination, published way back, in the year 1961.

Emily is a nine-year old little girl who grows up in a little ‘rural’ town called Pitchfork!

And the one thing that’s so unique about Emily is her wonderful imagination!

Her cousin Muriel, lives in the ‘city’ of Portland and has so many wonderful things—things like fleece-lined bedroom, slippers with kittens on the toes, cement sidewalks to roller-skate on, and a public library full of books.

Here’s for some delightful snippets from the book for y’all - 

Emily wrote occasional letters to her cousin Muriel. One such letter reads -

Dear Emily,

This week I went to the library.

I got Black Beauty.

It is about a horse.

It is the best book I ever read.

I read it three times.

I have to go now.

Write soon.

Yours truly, Muriel.

P.S. Mama sends her love.

Muriel was always writing about the library books she read—books like Heidi and Toby Tyler, which Emily had never even seen. Aunt Irene, Muriel’s mother, said Muriel was a regular little bookworm.

Emily did not envy Muriel the fleece-lined bedroom slippers or the cement sidewalk for roller-skating, but she did envy her that library.

She longed to be a bookworm, although she did not think she would care to be called one.

Unfortunately, the town of Pitchfork, Oregon, did not have a library.

Oh, there were things to read—the Burgess Bedtime Story in the newspaper, Elson Reader Book IV, and the Sunday-school paper, but none of these qualified Emily to be a bookworm.

Emily was not lucky like Muriel, who could ride a streetcar downtown to a big library full of hundreds, even thousands, of books, although of course Emily was lucky in other ways.

“Mama, I wish Pitchfork had a library,” said Emily. “It isn’t fair for Muriel to have all the books.”

“That’s the way it goes,” said Mama, rubbing her foot. “This world’s goods are never evenly divided.”

“But just suppose we did have a library.

Then I could read Black Beauty and fairy stories—anything I wanted. Suppose Pitchfork had a library with one hundred thousand “There goes your imagination again,” said Mama.

“But it does seem as if library books could “Emily, you are right,” said Mama suddenly. “Go get the tablet of linen paper. I am going to write a letter for you to mail.”

“Who to?” asked Emily.

“The state library in Salem,” said Mama, who believed in never putting off until tomorrow what she could do today.

“Times are changing. Other towns are getting libraries—there is already one in Cornelius. There’s no reason why Pitchfork can’t keep up with the times. Just think, Emily, there are people who have lived here all their lives who have never seen a library. And now I’m going to find out how to get a library started.”

“Mama!” cried Emily joyfully and, forgetting her own letter, she ran for the tablet of good writing paper.

Soon Mama had the letter written and addressed in her neat schoolteacher handwriting.

Emily put on her coat and went skipping off to the post office. Her knees, exposed for the first time in months, felt chilly, but she did not care. She was off to adventure.

She would mail the letter and spread the glad tidings that maybe there was going to be a library in town.

A library that might even have Black Beauty.

Emily heard a bark and found Prince, the collie, loping after her.

“Come on, Prince,” she called, glad to have the company of the good-natured dog.

On the way, she meets her cousin June Bartlett -

“Guess what!” said Emily.

“Maybe we are going to have a library right here in Pitchfork. I’m going to mail a letter about it right now.”

“You mean with books?” asked June.

“Of course,” answered Emily, exasperated. What else could be in a library?

“We have a Tarzan book at home,” said June, and went on her way to the drugstore,

stepping on all the cracks as she went.

When Emily and Prince reached the post office, Emily took one last look at the important letter addressed to the state librarian before she poked it through the slot.

Because the window was not yet open, she leaned over and peeked through the slot at her Uncle Avery, who was not only postmaster but mayor of Pitchfork as well.

He was busy cranking letters through the machine that postmarked the envelopes.

“Uncle Avery,” she said through the slot.

“Guess what! Maybe Pitchfork is going to have a library.”

“Well now, won’t that be nice,” answered Uncle Avery, cranking away at the postmarking machine.

And then she came back home, went upstairs and met up with Grandma -

“Grandma, do you know maybe Pitchfork is going to have a library? Mama wrote a letter to the state library this morning and I mailed it.”

“Well now, wouldn’t that be nice?”

Grandma deftly twisted a length of ribbon into a crisp bow.

“Other towns have libraries, I’ve heard. There’s no reason why Pitchfork can’t keep up with the times.”

In the ensuing time, before the library of her imagination, gets concretised, she was quite busy doing fundraisers, and asking everyone in town for book donations.

The state library soon answered her letter and had offered to send seventy five books at a time, but first the town must find a place to keep the books and someone to act as librarian.

Mama had more ideas.

If all the people of Pitchfork donated what books they owned, there might be enough books to start a permanent library.

Soon things began to take shape!

The Ladies’ Civic Club had found space for a library in a corner of the Commercial Clubrooms upstairs over the Pitchfork State Bank.

Two ladies loaned old china closets, with glass doors that could be locked, to be used for book shelves.

Mama was appointed librarian. Now all they needed was books…

How pray did they achieve it?

Nooooo!

The story is not gonna continue! ;-)

Do grab for yourself a copy quick-o-quick!

Just take a little resolve to read through the book!

Yes! A little resolve would do!

And you’ll see for yourself the pages turning themselves so elegantly and effortlessly for you all the way! ;-)

With her vibrant imagination, her wonderful sense of humour, and her courteous manners, Emily proves an instant hit, not only with her townsfolk, her kith and her kin, but also with us readers, much akin to the likes of a loveable Little Nell in Dickens’ Old Curiosity Shop, or an Akeelah in the film, Akeelah and the Bee!

Indeed, in a quaint little town where adventures are quite scarce, Emily with her runaway imagination, really proves otherwise!

On how the noble idea of a nine-year old girl, with a runaway imagination, a cheerful disposition and a positive attitude, helped in bringing a wonderful library to a little rural townsfolk!

Again, goes glad to prove that, noble achievements may, perchance, take time to realize!

However, patient perseverance and sincere striving have the power and the potential to help make your imaginations and dreams come true!

PS: This blogger sincerely wishes and earnestly hopes that this post will prove a spur to you, dear reader, to start a little library in your own sweet town!

Added, this blogger also wishes to dedicate this post to all the noble librarians [especially my dear Librarian Dr. Jesudoss Manalan] who have committed their lives to encouraging the art of reading amongst students and teachers alike!

image: amazondotcom

drawing: tracy dockray