Anne of Green Gables Valentines - Set 3

Here's a third set of Anne of Green Gables Valentines to give to your kindred spirits, friends, classmates, and loved ones. Save the Anne-inspired Valentines shown below. Then print the Valentine cards out on cardstock paper in landscape mode, cut them out, and share them!



To design this set of Anne of Green Gables Valentines, I used public domain images, public domain clipart from Antique Clipart, and an image of Gilbert Blythe and Anne Shirley from Sullivan Entertainment's production of Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel (1987).

Download and print more Anne of Green Gables Valentines here: Set 1, Set 2, and Set 4.

Created January 16, 2009, Re-posted online January 24, 2024. Last updated January 26, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Who is Your Fictional Crush?

Might it be Gilbert Blythe or Anne Shirley?

I read a fun article on literary crushes by Alison Flood at The Guardian today that mentions Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables. Flood describes a petition that was launched in Japan to legalize marriages between humans and cartoon characters. Flood writes, "it made me wonder which fictional character I'd marry, legal niceties permitting. As a teenager I'd have plumped for any of the Georgette Heyer heroes (particularly the Earl of Rule), or Jilly Cooper's Rupert Campbell-Black, or Rhett Butler. Before those days I had quite a crush on Gilbert from Anne of Green Gables and Laurie from Little Women."

Do you have a fictional crush? If so, who is it? L.M. Montgomery's Gilbert Blythe is surely on my list. And I know from my many years on the Anne of Green Gables Forum that Jonathan Crombie's Gilbert makes many women swoon. We joked for years there about solid chocolate Gilbert dolls.


Reference:
Flood, Alison. (2008, October 30). Who is your literary crush? The Guardian. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2008/oct/30/literary-crush-alison-flood

Image credit:
Photograph of Jonathan Crombie as Gilbert Blythe and Megan Follows as Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel © Sullivan Entertainment

Created October 31, 2008. Re-posted online April 19, 2024. Last updated April 19, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

100th Anniversary Anne of Green Gables Coin

On April 16, 2008, the Royal Canadian Mint released a special Anne of Green Gables coin on the 100th anniversary of the publication of L.M. Montgomery’s novel. The coin is presented in a illustrated full color folder with an illustration of the Green Gables house by Christopher Kovacs shown above. The 25 cent coin is a beautiful collector’s piece with a multicolor image of Anne Shirley by Ben Stahl on the reverse side and an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse side.

Here's an image showing the back of the coin presentation folder:

The Anne of Green Gables coin is described as follows:

"This magnificent 35mm nickel plated steel coin celebrates the literary heroine Anne Shirley with a beautiful painted portrait reflecting her colourful, melodramatic nature. One can easily imagine Anne on the red shores of Prince Edward Island looking out to sea with romantic longing, her blue dress, straw hat and wildflowers so characteristic of 19th-century island life. Based on an original image by Ben Stahl."

"In 1908, an unassuming novel by L.M. Montgomery of Prince Edward Island captivated the world with its heartwarming tale of Anne Shirley, an irrepressible orphan girl who enchants the island’s quiet community of Avonlea with her vivid imagination and endless mishaps. Published in over 20 languages and now 100 years in print, this story continues to delight and charm."

Created July 2, 2008. Re-posted online June 13, 2022.
© worldofanneshirley.com

100th Anniversary Anne of Green Gables Stamps

On June 20, 2008, Canada Post and Japan Post jointly released special Anne of Green Gables stamps on the 100th anniversary of the publication of L.M. Montgomery's novel. The dreamy portrait of Anne Shirley is by Ben Stahl, and the painting of the iconic Green Gables house is by Christopher Kovacs. The sweet animated drawings of Anne Shirley, Matthew Cuthbert, Diana Barry, Gilbert Blythe, and Marilla Cuthbert are from the anime series Anne of Green Gables (1979) aka Akage no An by Nippon Animation, which was part of the World Masterpiece Theater series.

Canada Post also issued a souvenir sheet with a set of two 52¢ Anne of Green Gables stamps to commemorate the occasion with artwork by Ben Stahl and Christopher Kovacs.



The following wonderful article was published by Canada Post upon the release of the stamps with biographical information on L.M. Montgomery, a description of her beloved Prince Edward Island, and details on the artwork, digital illustration, and stamp design:

Issued: June 20, 2008

Article published in

Canada's Stamp Details (Vol. XVII No 2; April to June 2008)

It's hard to believe that the irrepressible Anne Shirley might have lain hidden in a hat box forever. When Lucy Maud Montgomery completed her first novel in 1905, she received several rejections from publishers, so she put the story away. But Anne, with characteristic persistence, must have tugged at her imagination. A few years later, Montgomery retrieved the novel and sent it out again. Anne of Green Gables was finally published in Boston in 1908, to immediate success.

One hundred years later, Anne and her story are featured on a pair of domestic rate (52¢) stamps issued by Canada Post to celebrate the novel's centennial. The stamp images are based on original artwork officially authorized by The heirs of Lucy Maud Montgomery and the Anne of Green Gables Licensing Authority Inc. The painting of Anne was created by Ben Stahl, and that of her beloved Green Gables house by Christopher Kovacs.

"Anne is such a unique character, so full of life and so inspired by nature," says designer Dennis Page. "These paintings represent her story well-the images are surrounded by nature, and Anne appears lost in her thoughts."

Anne's name, he notes, is printed on the stamps in a typeface as personal and expressive as she is. Page also worked with digital illustrator Mike Little on a unique frame for the two images, which serves as a subtle reminder that Anne's famous story is actually a work of fiction. "The stamp frames are meant to resemble the pages of a book printed in 1908, with deckle edges and an original look and feel."

Even Montgomery said she never felt quite truthful admitting that this vibrant red-headed girl was indeed a fictional character. Although Anne of Green Gables was her first novel, Montgomery had been writing poems and stories since childhood, inspired by her life on Prince Edward Island. Born in 1874, she was not even two when her mother died of tuberculosis and she was sent to live with her grandparents in Cavendish, a town later made famous as Avonlea. She grew up immersed in nature and Anne's scenic descriptions of Avonlea are drawn from Montgomery's own experiences of living in Cavendish where she was enchanted by the orchards, woods and beaches. Montgomery once wrote, "Everything was invested with a kind of fairy grace and charm, emanating from my own fancy, the trees that whispered nightly around the old house where I slept, the woodsy nooks I explored, the homestead fields, each individualized by some oddity or fence or shape, the sea whose murmur was never out of my ears - all were radiant with 'the glory and the dream'...amid all the commonplaces of life, I was very near to a kingdom of ideal beauty."¹ Montgomery continued writing while training and working briefly as a teacher, and was earning a comfortable income from her published work even before the success of Anne of Green Gables. Eventually she married and moved to Ontario, but her heart and imagination stayed on the Island.

The house known as Green Gables is now a national historic site, with an operational period-style post office. Montgomery never actually lived there, but it was home to relatives, and she often explored the surrounding property. The setting clearly inspired her-the landscape near Cavendish is as vivid a character in her books as any other. To recognize this special place as uniquely Canadian, the souvenir sheet bears a maple leaf die perforation between the two stamps.

The Cavendish connection is featured on a souvenir sheet official first day cover (OFDC), and on two additional OFDCs, each bearing double cancels-one real (Cavendish PE) and one fictional (Avonlea PE).

Anne has captured the imaginations of girls around the world and her story has a special history for many Japanese. Anne first arrived in Japan in the 1930s with Canadian missionary Loretta Shaw. When Shaw left the country at the start of the Second World War, she gave a copy of the novel to her friend Hanako Muraoka, who translated it as Akage no An, literally "Anne of the Red Hair". After the war ended, Japanese education officials were eager to introduce children to Western texts, and Muraoka suggested the novel. In 1952, it was included in the school curriculum, and it has been well loved by generations of students ever since. Today, thousands of Japanese travel to Cavendish each year to visit Anne's fictional home.

Despite its distinctly Canadian setting, Anne of Green Gables belongs to the world. The story has captured the imaginations of readers in many languages and countries. "In Japan, readers have formed a fan club called the 'Buttercups,' named for Anne's favourite flower," says Joy Parks, Research Officer, Stamp Services, at Canada Post. Buttercups appear on the floral envelope seals included with the stamp booklet, part of a collection of flowers reproduced from the paintings depicted on the stamps. Like the wildflowers that return to bloom each spring, Anne lives on in the imagination of her readers, as real today as when she was first published.

Additional information is available on the following websites:
www.gov.pe.ca/lmm
www.lmmontgomery.ca

¹ Stan Sauerwein, Lucy Maud Montgomery: The Incredible Life of the Creator of Anne of Green Gables (Canmore, Alberta: Altitude Publishing Canada Ltd.) 2004, p. 22-23.

Created June 30, 2008. Re-posted online November 18, 2022. Last Updated January 20, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables (2007)

Based on L.M. Montgomery's novel, Anne of Green Gables (2007) is a musical featuring a book and lyrics by Gretchen Cryer and music by Nancy Ford. The musical premiered at the Lucille Lortel Theatre and had its off-Broadway run from March 29 to May 5, 2007. It was commissioned by Theatreworks USA.

The musical starred Piper Goodeve as Anne Shirley and was directed by Tyler Marchant. Playbill described the musical according to its press notes, saying that it: "follows the journey of the wildly independent and adventurous red-haired orphan, Anne Shirley, who is mistakenly sent to Green Gables to live with an elderly bachelor and his spinster sister. Soon after her arrival, she quickly turns the entire community upside-down with her indomitable spirit and scope for imagination."


A cast recording was released by Jay Records and includes the following songs:

1. "Around the Bend"
Piper Goodeve, Erick Devine, Bethe B. Austin, Heather Macrae, Michael Mendiola

2. "A Pretty Kettle of Fish"
Bethe B. Austin, Piper Goodeve, Erick Devine

3. "I Can Stay"
Piper Goodeve, Bethe B. Austin, Erick Devine

4. "It's the Strangest Thing"
Heather Macrae, Piper Goodeve, Alison Faircloth, Michael Mendiola

5. "Kindred Spirits"
Piper Goodeve, Erick Devine

6. "Making for Lost Time"
Jessica Grove, Piper Goodeve

7. "The Use of the Colon / Two Weeks"
Michael Mendiola, Piper Goodeve, Drew Gehling, Jessica Grove, Alison Faircloth

8. "It Was Not Because of Gilbert Blythe"
Piper Goodeve, Jessica Grove

9. "Drunk!"
Heather Macrae, Alison Faircloth, Bethe B. Austin, Piper Goodeve, Erick Devine

10. "The Clock Keeps Ticking"
Jessica Grove, Piper Goodeve, Erick Devine, Michael Mendiola

11. "It's the Strangest Thing (Reprise)"
Heather Macrae, Alison Faircloth, Michael Mendiola

12. "First Day At the Academy / It's Nice to Know"
Piper Goodeve, Drew Gehling, Alison Faircloth, Erick Devine, Bethe B. Austin

13. "The Graduation"
Michael Mendiola

14. "Matthew's Death"
Erick Devine, Piper Goodeve

15. "Around the Bend (Reprise)"
Bethe B. Austin, Piper Goodeve, Jessica Grove

16. "Making Up for Lost Time (Reprise) / Finale"
Drew Gehling, Jessica Goodeve

You can listen to the cast recording at YouTube Music, iTunes, and Amazon Music.

Anne of Green Gables is available for license at the Music Theatre International website, which provides the following full synopsis of the show:

Full Synopsis

At an early twentieth-century train station, Anne Shirley, a skinny twelve-year-old, anxiously waits with her baggage, trying to keep up her spirits ("Around the Bend"). Unseen by her, Matthew Cuthbert arrives and converses with the Station Master. When the Station Master tells Matthew that the girl he was expecting has arrived, Matthew protests that he was actually expecting a young orphan boy to help him on his farm, Green Gables. Anne greets Matthew with enthusiasm, however, and he shyly takes her along.

Meanwhile, Matthew's sister, Marilla, is being visited at Green Gables by a nosy neighbor, Rachel Lynde. Rachel warns Marilla that adopting orphans is a risky undertaking.

As Mathew and Anne approach Green Gables, she grows increasingly excited. Matthew explains the mix-up to Marilla – the orphanage has sent them a girl instead of a boy. Upon hearing this, Anne bursts into tears. Marilla consoles her ("A Pretty Kettle of Fish"). Matthew has taken an instant liking to Anne, but Marilla is determined to send her back.

Marilla and Anne ride into town to sort out the mistake but, on the way, Marilla begins to warm to Anne. In the end, it's determined that an attempt will be made to find Anne a home with another local family so that she won't have to go back to the asylum.

That night, Anne shares her history with Marilla: both of her parents died when she was three years old and she passed through a succession of foster families until she was recently sent to the asylum. Her formal education has been limited, but she is an avid reader.

Marilla tells Matthew that Anne can stay with them on a trial basis. Anne overhears this and is delighted ("I Can Stay").

A few days later, Rachel visits for tea and, again, warns of the danger of adoption. Marissa introduces Anne to Rachel. Rachel immediately insults Anne's appearance rudely. Anne is stunned and exclaims that she hates Rachel. Marilla reproaches Rachel and punishes Anne.

Rachel spreads vile rumors around town about Anne ("It's the Strangest Thing").

Anne remains confined to her room until she agrees to apologize to Rachel, which Matthew convinces her to do. Anne does ask Rachel for forgiveness, and Rachel accepts the apology. Anne feels that this act has pleased Marilla ("Kindred Spirits").

As Anne and Matthew are celebrating, a young neighbor, Gilbert Blythe, arrives. He is a self-assured charmer. Gilbert's first meeting with Anne does not go well, as he unintentionally upsets her with his teasing. After Gilbert departs, Matthew assures Anne that the boy meant no harm. Matthew explains that Gilbert's father once courted Marilla.

Not long after, Marissa is preparing to take Anne over to the home of the Barry family, which includes Diana, a girl Anne's age, whom she hopes to befriend. Anne and Diana do indeed hit it off, and Anne asks Diana to vow to be her "bosom friend" ("Making up for Lost Time").

Not long thereafter, the two girls are on their way to school in a downpour and encounter Gilbert, their fellow classmate. Diane accompanies Gilbert, who has an umbrella, but Anne refuses to do the same. As a result, she arrives late (and wet) for class. The teacher, Mr. Phillips, begins class with a lesson on punctuation ("The Use of the Colon"). Gilbert flirts with Anne during the lesson, but she rebuffs him. After class, he again tries to approach her, but she reacts badly to his teasing advances ("Two Weeks").

Marilla is preparing to depart the house for a meeting while Diana is coming to visit Anne. Marilla tells Anne that the girls can have tea and gives her some raspberry cordial (unbeknownst to any of them, it is alcoholic). Unfortunately, because Gilbert had teased Anne about her red hair, she has accidentally dyed it green in an attempt to turn it black. As Marilla departs, Diana arrives and is shocked at Anne's green hair. The two girls enjoy some raspberry cordial and Diana loosens up in short order. She suggests that Gilbert is indeed the reason that Anne tried to dye her hair, but Anne vehemently denies this ("It Was Not Because of Gilbert Blythe"). Diana feels sick as she gets increasingly more drunk.

Later, Rachel accosts Marilla in the kitchen, reporting the claim of Diana's mother that Anne got Diana drunk ("Drunk!"). Anne denies this. Marilla realizes that she gave Anne the wrong cordial. Diana's mother decrees that the girls will no longer see each other. Marilla charges to Anne's defense but is unable to persuade Diana's mother of Anne's innocence.

Six months later, Anne has managed to regrow about three inches of hair after having her green locks sheared. She misses her friend, Diana, and Matthew consoles her. Suddenly, Diana arrives, explaining that her baby sister, Minnie May, is very sick with the croup and she doesn't know what to do. Matthew leaves to fetch the doctor.

Anne is experienced with treating the croup, so the girls hurry over to Diana's house and begin to treat the baby ("The Clock Keeps Ticking"). Matthew and the Doctor arrive, and the Doctor announces that the baby will be saved... thanks to Anne's help.

On her way home that night, Anne falls and injures herself. Fortunately, though, having heard of Anne's heroism, Gilbert arrives and helps her to get home.

Rachel is gossiping about Anne around town again but, this time, she's claiming that she always knew Anne was something special and she can't understand why nobody else recognized Anne's good character. Diana's mother apologizes to Anne.

Anne graduates from school, tied with Gilbert at the top of their class. Anne is accepted at the Teacher's Academy, and Matthew and Marilla proudly present her with a beautiful dress. A private conversation between Matthew and Marilla reveals that Marilla is concealing an illness from Anne, not wanting anything to distract Anne from her studies. Anne departs for the Academy.

Diana is unable to join Anne at the Academy, but Gilbert and several of their other classmates are there, including the vapid Josie Pye, whom Anne loathes. Gilbert and Anne are comforted by each other's presence at the school ("It's Nice to Know").

On graduation day from the Academy, it is announced that both Gilbert and Anne have won academic awards, and that Anne has won a four-year scholarship to Redmond College. When Anne returns home for the summer, Marilla reveals that she and Gilbert's father were once sweethearts, but that the relationship ended badly after an argument. Anne regrets being so stubborn in her attitude towards Gilbert. Matthew suffers a heart attack and collapses, dying. Anne tells him that, if only he had gotten the boy from the orphanage that he had wanted, he wouldn't have overworked himself. Matthew tells Anne that he couldn't be more proud of her.

Gilbert replaces Mr. Phillips as the local schoolteacher. Marilla plans to sell Green Gables, but Anne offers to forego her scholarship and teach locally so that Marilla can keep the farm ("Around the Bend – Reprise"). Gilbert gives his teaching position to Anne. Anne apologizes to Gilbert for her past unkindness to him, and the two acknowledge one another as kindred spirits ("Making Up for Lost Time / Around the Bend – Reprise"). They kiss at the train station as Gilbert departs to seek another teaching position in a neighboring community, promising to return for the weekend. The two look forward to spending the rest of their lives together.

Image Credits:
Poster from Anne of Green Gables (2007) from the Internet Off-Broadway Database.
Album artwork for the Anne of Green Gables Original Cast Recording of the Theatreworks USA Production.

Reference:
Gans, Andrew. (2007, March 23). Anne of Green Gables — with Goodeve, Grové and Mac Rae — Begins Off-Broadway Run March 23. Playbill. Retrieved from: https://playbill.com/article/anne-of-green-gables-with-goodeve-grove-and-mac-rae-begins-off-broadway-run-march-23-com-139501

Created March 23, 2007. Last updated May 7, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables Valentines - Set 2

Here's a second set of Anne of Green Gables Valentines to give to your kindred spirits, friends, classmates, and loved ones. Save the Anne-inspired Valentines shown below. Then print the Valentine cards out on cardstock paper in landscape mode, cut them out, and share them!



To design this set of Anne of Green Gables Valentines, I used images from Sullivan Entertainment's Anne of Green Gables (1985) and Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel (1987), Nippon Animation's Anne of Green Gables (1979) aka Akage No An, the 1934 Anne of Green Gables film, and Anne & Gilbert: The Musical.

Download and print more Anne of Green Gables Valentines here: Set 1, Set 3, and Set 4.

Created January 15, 2007, Re-posted online January 23, 2024. Last updated January 26, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables (2007)

Anne of Green Gables (2007) is a play adapted by Peter DeLaurier from the novel by L.M. Montgomery. The play premiered at the at The People's Light & Theatre Company in January 2007 as part of the Philadelphia New Play Festival. The play was directed by Shannon O'Donnell.

Playbill described the story as follows: "Matthew Cuthbert and his no-nonsense sister Marilla send for an orphan to help with the farm at Green Gables. But instead of a sturdy boy, they get skinny Anne Shirley, an accident-prone redhead with a natural flair for drama. It doesn't take long though for this imaginative young heroine to work her way into the hearts of her reluctant new parents, and to transform their stodgy, old-fashioned neighbors on Prince Edward Island into a host of 'kindred spirits.' This new adaptation captures all the spirit of the beloved classic. Best appreciated by ages 7 and up. www.peopleslight.org."

Anne of Green Gables was published by Playscripts, Incorporated in 2009, and is available for purchase at the Playscripts website.

Image Credit:
Promotional artwork from the Playscripts website.

Reference:
Jones, Kenneth. (2006, December 28). Nine Theatres to Sprout Premieres in First Philly New Play Fest in Early 2007. Playbill. Retrieved from: https://web.archive.org/web/20070930191530/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/104459.html

Created January 7, 2007. Last updated May 5, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Penguin Group (Canada) to Become the Official Book Publisher of L.M. Montgomery 100th Anniversary Editions

Penguin Group (Canada) to become the official book publisher of L.M. Montgomery 100th Anniversary Editions

Press Release

TORONTO - Penguin Group (Canada) announced yesterday it will undertake a major Canadian and international publishing program in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Anne of Green Gables, including publication of an official prequel, to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the book's original publication in 1908.

To further celebrate this significant anniversary, Penguin will publish a special collectible 100th anniversary edition of Anne of Green Gables, featuring the original cover art of M.A. Claus and W.A.J. Claus.

A third project, Imagining Anne: The Scrapbooks of L.M. Montgomery will bring to life Montgomery's own thoughts and interests using selected pages from her own scrapbooks from the years 1893 to 1908, covering her time as a college student, teacher and writer, and the years in which she created the character of Anne Shirley, leading to the publication of Anne of Green Gables in 1908.

The significance of the souvenirs and clippings Montgomery collected will be explained by Elizabeth Epperly, Ph.D., professor of English at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) and the founder of the L.M. Montgomery Institute at UPEI.

Imagining Anne will be a full-colour giftbook, releasing in March 2008.

Penguin holds world rights in all languages to both the prequel and the scrapbook.

The prequel, Before Green Gables, which tells the story of Anne's early life in foster homes and an orphanage in Nova Scotia, will be written by Governor General's Literary Award finalist Budge Wilson.

Budge Wilson has published twenty-nine books in more than 10 countries and her stories have been included in over 90 anthologies, including the first Journey Prize Anthology.

Her many awards include nineteen Canadian Children's Book Centre "Our Choice" awards, the Canadian Library Association Young Adult Award, the Marianna Dempster Award, the Ann Connor Brimer Award, the Lilla Stirling Award and the City of Dartmouth Book Award.

Her latest book, Friendships, is a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award.

Wilson offered the following comments: "When Penguin asked me to write this prequel, I was faced with an enormous challenge."

"But it was this challenge that made me want to write the book," Wilson said.

"Given the appalling deprivation and emotional starvation of Anne's years in the Thomas and Hammond households and during her four agonized months in the orphanage, one is mystified as to how she became the person she was when she made her first journey to Green Gables with Matthew Cuthbert," she said.

"How could she have become so vibrant a person, so talkative, so articulate, so optimistic, so full of extravagant dreams?"

"This was the enticing puzzle that drew me into the project."

Wilson will spend several chapters getting to know Anne's parents and will bring other people into the story who will introduce Anne to the magic of words and literature, the possibilities for solace and joy in an active imagination, and the experience of giving and receiving love.

"I will, of course, try to be true to the astonishing character that Lucy Maud Montgomery created," said Wilson.

"For this, I am grateful to her."

"But I would not - in fact, could not - presume to tell my part of Anne's history in Montgomery's voice."

"I will do this in my own voice, hoping that she would approve of the project if she were alive today." Penguin is delighted to have the full support of the heirs of L.M. Montgomery and will work in co-operation with the family to create an exciting national marketing plan to make 2008 especially memorable as the year of Anne and of L.M. Montgomery.

L. M. Montgomery's grandson David Macdonald, speaking for the family, said, "We are delighted that Penguin have undertaken to publish a prequel to Anne of Green Gables for 2008 and have selected respected author Budge Wilson to write Before Green Gables.

"We think she is a terrific choice," Macdonald said.

He continued, "It's an added bonus that Budge Wilson like Anne, comes from Nova Scotia."

"I think my grandmother would have thought it appropriate for an author who grew up in Nova Scotia to write about Anne's life before she came to Prince Edward Island and Green Gables."

Commissioning editor Helen Reeves commented on the tremendous opportunity presented by the 100th anniversary, saying, "The character of Anne Shirley continues to be loved around the world."

"Growing up in the UK, I read all the Anne books and it's tremendously exciting to see a different part of Anne's story brought to life by one of Canada's most celebrated contemporary writers," Reeves said.

"We look forward to 2008 with great anticipation," she said.

Founded in 1974 as a distribution company for Penguin books from all over the world, Penguin Group (Canada) began publishing Canadian and international titles in 1977, and quickly became known as one of Canada's pre-eminent publishers of literary, thought-provoking fiction, and non-fiction.

Penguin is internationally recognized as the world's predominant publisher of classic literature; in Canada publishing both modern classics and black classics, including works by Susanna Moodie, Stephen Leacock and L.M. Montgomery.

Created October 26, 2006, Re-posted online January 30, 2024. Last updated January 30, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables Christmas Ornament

On my honeymoon on Prince Edward Island, I bought this Anne of Green Gables Christmas ornament to hang on my Christmas tree. It's a little straw hat with red braids attached.



If you can't make it to PEI, there's a similar Christmas ornament available here.

Created July 26, 2006, Re-posted online January 25, 2024. Last updated January 25, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables U-Haul Truck

When I opened my front door today, I found this Anne of Green Gables U-Haul truck parked right outside my apartment. I took this photograph of it from my doorstep.

The under the illustration of Anne and Green Gables, the side of the truck reads:

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
HOME OF THE LEGENDARY ANNE OF GREEN GABLES
FOYER DE LA LÉGENDAIRE «ANNE DE LA MAISON AUX PIGNONS VERTS»

Seeing the truck made me smile. It's always nice to have a reminder of Prince Edward Island and Anne Shirley.

Here's a crisper view of the Anne Shirley graphic art from the U-Haul website:



Created September 3, 2005. Re-posted online June 10, 2022. Last updated June 10, 2022.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables Miniature Diorama

My boyfriend gave me a blind box, which he spotted while traveling in Seattle. It's from the "Little Anime Series World Masterpiece Theater" collection. Each box contains a miniature diorama from one of five World Masterpiece Theater anime series produced by Nippon Animation. One of the anime series included is Anne of Green Gables (Akage no An). Knowing that I love Anne of Green Gables, my boyfriend bought a box for me and hoped for the best. Lucky for me, my box contained the Anne of Green Gables scene.

This blind box collection was manufactured by MegaHouse in 2003. The five World Masterpiece Theater series included in the collection are: Anne of Green Gables (1979), 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother (1976), Rascal the Raccoon (1977), A Dog of Flanders (1975), and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1980). The scenes for the five series are depicted on the sides of the blind box and on the insert inside the box (pictured below):





Inside the red box was a pink case that looked like a tiny book:



A brown plastic box, designed to look like wood, slides out of the pink case:



Opening the box reveals the eight items shown below: the Green Gables kitchen, Matthew's couch and shoes, the Green Gables kitchen table, a bowl, a pair of birds, and three characters: Matthew Cuthbert, Marilla Cuthbert, and Anne Shirley:



Here's a closer view of Matthew Cuthbert (who's asleep), Marilla Cuthbert, and Anne Shirley (carrying a layered cake):



Here are a few views of the Anne of Green Gables diorama with Matthew asleep on his couch, Marilla bustling about the kitchen, and Anne carrying a lovely layered cake (that hopefully is flavored with vanilla instead of liniment):





Here's a close-up view of the Green Gables diorama:



Created June 27, 2005. Re-posted online with new photos and content January 20, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

Anne of Green Gables Valentines - Set 1

Give these Anne of Green Gables Valentines to your classmates, kindred spirits, and loved ones. Save the Anne-inspired Valentines below. Then print the Valentine cards out on cardstock paper in portrait mode, cut them out, and share them!



To design this set of Anne of Green Gables Valentines, I used public domain clipart from Antique Clipart, and images of Gilbert Blythe, Anne Shirley, and Diana Barry from Sullivan Entertainment's production of Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel (1987) and Nippon Animation's Anne of Green Gables (1979) aka Akage No An.

Download and print more Anne of Green Gables Valentines here: Set 2, Set 3, and Set 4.

Created January 1, 2005, Re-posted online January 22, 2024. Last updated January 26, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com