The Moffats

“Now she looked between her legs at this yellow house where she and Mama, Sylvie, Joey, and Rufus had lived ever since Rufus, who was the littlest—just five and a half, in fact—was a tiny baby. Jane could just barely remember the day they had all moved into this house from the white one across the street. She could just barely remember wheeling her doll carriage across the street to the new house, for she had been only three years old at the time. Now she was nine.”

Jane has fun looking at her beloved yellow house upside down through her legs. This passage characterizes Jane as an innocent and playful nine-year-old girl while also establishing that she and her family have enjoyed living in the yellow house for many years.

“Jane was horror-struck. The yellow house for sale! She clutched Hildegarde tightly to her, whispering fiercely, ‘It’s not. It’s not.’ Oh, why didn’t Mama come out and set things right? But supposing even Mama couldn’t do anything about this! For Sale! The horrible sign!”

Jane is horrified when the local odd-jobs man, Mr. Baxter, abruptly comes over and nails a “For Sale” sign on the yellow house. Jane’s reaction shows her deep emotional attachment to her home and her fear of being displaced by its sale. In addition, this quotation establishes The Impact of Financial Insecurity on Family Life as a theme: The Moffats face instability since they can’t afford to buy their own home.

“When Jane went past this house, she was careful not to step off the sidewalk onto the lawn even one little inch. She tried to remember always to walk, never to run, lest the Chief of Police take her for a thief running from the scene of her latest crime. But she never walked too slowly lest she be arrested for loitering.”

Jane is always nervous about passing Chief Mulligan’s house because she knows he can arrest criminals. This humorous passage reveals Jane’s innocent understanding of the police officer’s job, as well as her anxious and sweet demeanor. These lines provide context for young readers to understand Jane’s silly misadventure of running away from Chief Mulligan to avoid arrest.