Betsy Ray and Joe WillardHeaven to Betsy, by Maud Hart Lovelace
From the moment fourteen-year-old Betsy walks into Willard's Emporium and meets Joe, a brooding blond eating and apple and reading The Three Musketeers, we know she’s found her soulmate. He reads, he writes, he likes her hair straight... sigh! A series of misunderstandings keeps them apart over the years, but their journey to true love is delightful. Bonus points for a real-life connection: Joe is based on Delos Lovelace, Maud’s husband!
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| Photo from the Maud Hart Lovelace Society |
Anne Shirley and Gilbert BlytheAnne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery
"Carrots!" Ahh, the epically bad choice of teasing a girl to get her attention. But honestly, is there anything sweeter than Gilbert’s unending devotion to Anne, even when she tries her best to squelch him? The guy puts up with a lot. And then once they finally get their differences ironed out and get married, they have a whole boatload of adorable kids! The 1980s CBC miniseries with Jonathan Crombie doesn't hurt Gilbert’s image, either.
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| Yeah, um... he's okay. |
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle
Meg and Calvin forever! I love that Calvin sees the beauty in Meg that nobody else seems to recognize. I love that he's the nice, popular guy who doesn't hesitate to hang out with the "weird" kids (i.e. Meg and her genius little brother, Charles Wallace). He's the answer to every awkward junior high school girl's prayer. And who among us didn't identify with Meg when we first read this series?
Bookworm confession: my husband and I strongly considered Calvin as a baby name when we were expecting our son. The husband was thinking Calvin & Hobbes, but I was ALL about Calvin O'Keefe, of course!
So which great couples of children's literature did YOU swoon over when you were a kid?
