Did you ever read the children’s book “Anne of Green Gables”?

When I was a little girl, Anne of Green Gables was one my favorite books. It was a book that was perfect for summer reading while sitting on the deck of our family lakehouse in Lake of the Woods, Canada. I could read a book about a little girl, who was much like myself, while enjoying the backdrop of the lake, pine tree-scented air, and the Canadian wilderness.

Red cliffs of Prince Edward Island

I had thought that the book was about a fictional girl – Anne – in a fictional place called “Avonlea.” It wasn’t until I visited Prince Edward Island that I discovered that Anne of Green Gables was based on a story about a real girl – Lucy (I forget her last name) – who was adopted by a family during the turn of the century and was set in a real place, Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. Both Anne and Avonlea were made up, but the story in the book was very real.

L.M. Montgomery, the author, was a local school teacher who pitched the book to numerous publishers before she found one who would agree to publish her book idea. The book was an unusual story for back in the day: a couple are trying to adopt a child and have a strong preference for a boy. What they get instead is a red-headed little girl who has a tremendous personality. It was also one of the widely read literary works that came out of Prince Edward Island. It fueled the imaginations of Canadians who wanted to visit PEI from reading the book.

Anne of Green Gables became a roaring success -a must-read among little girls in Canada. L.M. Montgomery wrote an entire series of “Anne” books and soon became a well known and acclaimed author. She put PEI on the map as a “must-visit.” And its easy to see why.  PEI is stunningly beautiful. Its the colors of girls’ best friends – rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. Not literally, but rather these are the colors of the red soiled land, the blue ocean, and the green, green grass and crops that grow everywhere.

This is a little clip about Avonlea – the fictional town as it was described in the book. Avonlea in real life is Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. Avonlea was reconstructed out of the book so little girls (and their families) today can enjoy Anne of Green gables when they visit Prince Edward Island. You can see the little shops, school, church, and homes, where Anne grew up. The local towns people will do remakes of scenes from the book. And in case you were wondering, all little girls with red hair on Prince Edward Island are the special ones!

Watch the video to see Avonlea!