The Relatives Came

Summer is here!  And I know of no better way to begin those summer reading programs than with Cynthia Rylant's story The Realatives Came, with Caldecott honorable illustrations by Stephen Gammell (c. 1993).  Folks, this story is one of our very favorites!!!

Ah!  I just love reading this story!  It doesn't even bother me to read it again and again.  And the illustrations!  Well, you're bound to laugh at some point.  I think that no matter your experience, Rylant's story will have at least one page you identify with.

And that's my summer challenge to you, dear readers: take time to check out The Relatives Came and comment, sharing with us a reading moment where you felt connected to a description in Rylant's story.

Here's one of my favorite moments:

Please join me for a linky party at :

http://www.lifeonplanetbaby.com/2012/06/post-of-month-club-june-2012-edition.html 

When I was Young in the Mountains

If you've been reading my blog for long, you'll notice that I'm a fan for Appalachian stories, a region abounding in music, story telling, and tall tales.  Once again Rylant's lovely lyrical writing suggests a broader story than what's told.  Friends, here's a perfect example of exemplary writing complimented by stylistic illustration.  Writer Cynthia Rylant first teamed up with illustrator Diane Goode with their book entitled When I was Young in the Mountains (c.1982).  Rylant based her story on her own childhood experiences of growing up in Appalachian Mountains.  Her unsentimental account whispers a tenderness of a simpler way of life, a life independent of electricity and indoor plumbing and rich in family and friendship.  The kids found it fascinating!

Another collaboration by both author and illustrator:
Christmas in the Country 
Other books by author:
Snow
In November
Other books by illustrator:
Thanksgiving is Here!
The Most Perfect Spot

Snow

There's a book that's several weeks overdue at the library.  So why don't I just renew it?  It's on a long waiting list because many, many readers have requested it in their que.  Meanwhile, the kids are so taken with it, that they're still not ready to depart from it.  [Another post, another time: how to separate the kids from a beloved book when it's due back at the library.]  Right now, it's worth the 80 cents total late fee.  Don't worry, I intend to return it tomorrow . . . or the next day. 

The book I'm referring is Snow, a rather new book (c. 2008) by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Lauren Stringer.  Rylant's characteristically lyrical voice transports her reader into the first moments of freshly falling snow.  Her manipulation of text slows down the day's pace just as falling snow draws things to a halt.  Here's one of my favorite lines:

Some snows fall only lightly,

just enough

to make you notice

the delicate limbs of trees,

the light falling

from the lamppost,

a sparrow's small feet.

Stringer illustrates this book beautifully.  In fact, of all her illustrated children's books, I think Snow to be her best work.  Her approach seems different from her other books.  She cleverly contrasts cold against cozy with the whites and blues painted in her outdoor scenes juxtaposed against the warm hues of her indoor scenes.  If you'd like to read Stringer's discussion of her process in illustrating snow, click here.

Let me know what you think about Snow's poetical text and beautiful snowflaked illustrations.  (Yep, that's a word I just made up ~ "snowflaked.")

Christmas in the Country

My friends have been telling me that it's Christmas and where are the Christmas recommendations?!  Well . . . I've been decorating!  Thank goodness Take Joy! was in the piano bench from last season's playing, so you could get a taste of an artist whose spirit reflects the delight of Christmastime.  Now, I've pulled out our Christmas books from the attic, which is such a wonderful event because the kids act like they're in euphoria -- it's even better than receiving a new book because it's that feeling of familiarity put on hold.  Yep, for 10 - 11 months, I've starved them of their little treasures, and oh the sweetness that follows reuniting!

Actually, I get downright giddy with all these wonderful Christmas books, and then, THEN I get completely overwhelmed.  When and where to begin?!  So sit tight folks, I'll try to post a new book each day.  If not, you can just hope that I'm baking or sewing or delving into some other seasonal preparation.  Oh, and I must send a SHOUT OUT to my friend Tracy.  In looking for a place to put her Christmas books, she shelved them into her son's red Radio Flyer Walker Wagon --  Beautifully brilliant idea!  Maybe she'll take a picture for me to post sometime during the next few weeks.

Grab a quilt and a few little ones and slow down the bustle of your season with this cozy read!   Another classic by the duo Cynthia Rylant (In November) and Diane Goode (Thanksgiving is Here!), Christmas in the Country chronicles one girl's joyful experience during the Christmas season at her shared home with grandmother and grandfather.  Rylant details homemade decorations, the "commotion" of Christmas Day, and quaint country customs.  Both Rylant and Goode paint a warm, familial picture inspired by Southern Appalachia that summons the Christmas spirit.

In November

Can you believe we're already in the month of November now?  Here's a book describing the events that occur in November.  And if you haven't already checked out author Cynthia Rylant yet, here's your first opportunity with In November by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Jill Kastner.

First off, I just want to say that I want to frame a few of Kastner's brush-stroked oil illustrations in my home.  I mean, check out this beautiful painting of a cardinal couple in a snow and berry filled tree:

The illustration speaks for itself, doesn't it!

Then Rylant takes her readers on a tour of the fall-ending, winter-readying activity of animals hibernating, birds flying south, and families preparing for the blessings of Thanksgiving.  Rylant's beautiful lyrical voice evidences throughout this book.  Her soft, quite tone reverberates the story's content of preparing for the sleepiness of winter.  Allow me to give you a taste of the poetic imagery in Rylant's writing with her last lines:  In November, at winter's gate, the stars are brittle.  The sun is a sometime friend.  And the world has tucked her children in, with a kiss on their heads, till spring. 

So readers, tell me what you think about this book!