"Little Men" book: still a favorite

When I was young I read the book "Little Men" (sequel to "Little Women") and decided I wanted to have Mrs. Jo's life someday.  As a teacher and guardian to several young boys, and a few random girls, as well as a mother to a couple of her own children, she was my hero.  Her life in a big old house/school out in the country with all those kids sounded like a fun one.

I never did achieve that dream fully, but as I read the book to my kids last month I realized that I do get to share some aspects of her life. I've been blessed with a smaller in number but no less interesting group of boys to raise and teach, as well as a couple of girls.  One of Mrs. Jo's flock had special needs, just like mine.  She married a German professor; I married a professor with a German-sounding last name.  She lived in a house called Plumfield.  We just moved into a house that has a "P" marked into the capstone above the front door.  And my life has been fun, just like hers.

As a girl I loved the book, but as a mom I can relate on a whole different level.  This was one of my favorite parts:

“If he should turn out to be a naturalist, and Nat a musician, I should have cause to be proud of this year’s work,” and Mrs. Jo sat smiling over her book as she built castles in the air, just as she used to do when a girl, only then they were for herself, and now they were for other people, which is the reason, perhaps, that some of them came to pass in reality – for charity is an excellent foundation to build anything upon.”

It's been fun introducing my flock to hers, and my kids have thoroughly enjoyed our daily readings after lunch.   I knew I hadn't quite achieved Mrs. Jo status, though, when one day Colsen said,

"Hey Mom, do you want to go read some more "Little Men" and learn about how that woman runs the house of boys so well?  Maybe you could learn something...."  Yes, Mrs. Jo is perennially more patient and sweet and gentle than I will ever be.

***

One day in our reading the kids all had loud reactions when I got to the part of the story when one of the girls was getting punished for running away from the group by being confined to her room, and she was behaving badly.  I read:

"Mrs. Jo took no notice, but leaving a book or two and a handkerchief to hem, she went away, and left Miss Nan to her own devices."

"HEY!" the boys yelled out.  "How come even SHE gets to have devices and we don't??!!"

***

One of our other favorite parts was when Dan received a microscope and the others were all gathering around to check it out....

“We live in a beautiful and wonderful world, Demi, and the more you know about it the wiser and the better you will be.  This little glass will give you a new set of teachers, and you may learn fine lessons from them if you will,” said Mr. Bhaer, glad to see how interested the boys were in the matter.

“Could I see anybody’s soul with this microscope if I looked hard?” asked Demi, who was much impressed with the power of the bit of glass.

“No, dear; it’s not powerful enough for that, and never can be made so.  You must wait a long while before your eyes are clear enough to see the most invisible of God’s wonders.  But looking at the lovely things you can see will help you understand the lovelier things you cannot see,” answered Uncle Fritz.

***

Louisa May Alcott remains one of my favorite authors and I've loved being reminded of that.  I also had a little chuckle to myself as I was reading the book through this time.  I've always thought that when authors used to type out their manuscripts on a typewriter they would have been wise to choose short names for their characters.  (Who would want to type the name Rumplestiltskin over and over?)  In "Little Women" the characters were Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy.  In "Little Men" the characters were Jo, Dan, Nan, Nat, Ned, Tom, Demi, Daisy, Emil, etc., etc.

 Louisa was a smart lady in many ways!