If I Couldn’t Be Anne

If I Couldn’t Be Anne, written by Kallie George and illustrated by Geneviève Godbout, is a lovely children’s book based on L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. In this tale, Anne talks about who or what she would be if she were not Anne. She says that, if she weren’t herself, she would be “…a gull – a splendid, swooping one” (p. 3). Alternatively, she also considers being “a tightrope walker, breathless and brave” (p. 8). Anne’s imagination also leads her to think of things like “an invisible friend who lives in a book, a kindred spirit to anyone in need”. (p. 17). Anne could, indeed, be a kindred spirit to imaginative young minds who partake in this story – or anyone older who’s ever wished they had a different life experience. Though Anne’s mind wanders to the various possibilities of who she could be, she ultimately concedes that, if she “must be Anne, I want to be Anne with an e.” (p. 31).

Godbout’s illustrations are soft, whimsical, and expressive. Anne is immediately recognizable – red hair, smiling face, sweet apron and boots. Anne’s imagination is given expert visuals so that, as she lets her mind wander, the illustrations draw in readers to see exactly what Anne is picturing in her head, thereby taking readers along on Anne’s journey of self-reflection.

Kallie George’s If I Couldn’t Be Anne is both a tribute to the traditional works of L. M. Montgomery as well as a refreshing new take on this imaginative and vibrant character. If I Couldn’t Be Anne is a delightful way to introduce new readers to Anne’s world.