Rylant, Cynthia 1954-

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RYLANT, Cynthia 1954-

Personal

Surname is pronounced "rye-lunt "; born June 6, 1954, in Hopewell, VA; daughter of John Tune (an army sergeant) and Leatrel (a nurse; maiden name, Rylant) Smith; twice married (divorced); children (first marriage): Nathaniel. Education: Morris Harvey College (now University of Charleston), B.A., 1975; Marshall University (Huntington, WV), M.A., 1976; Kent State University, M.L.S., 1982. Politics: Democrat. Religion: "Christian, no denomination." Hobbies and other interests: Pets, reading, going to movies, going to the seashore.

Addresses

Home Eugene, OR. Agent Steven Malk, Writers House, 3368 Governor Drive, Ste. 224-F, San Diego, CA 92122.

Career

Writer, educator, and librarian. Marshall University, Huntington, WV, part-time English instructor, 1979-80; Akron Public Library, Akron, OH, children's librarian, 1983; University of Akron, Akron, part-time English lecturer, 1983-84; Northeast Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Rootstown, part-time lecturer, 1991.

Awards, Honors

Booklist reviewer's choice, 1982, American Book Award nomination, American Library Association (ALA) notable book, and Reading Rainbow selection, 1983, and English-speaking Union Book-across-the-Sea Ambassador of Honor Award, 1984, all for When I Was Young in the Mountains; School Library Journal best book designation, National Council for Social Studies best book, and ALA notable book, all 1984, and Society of Midland Authors best children's book, 1985, all for Waiting to Waltz a Childhood; Children's Book of the Year, Child Study Association of America (CSA), and Horn Book honor book, both 1985, for The Relatives Came; Children's Book of the Year, CSA, 1985, for A Blue-eyed Daisy; School Library Journal best book citation, 1985, for Every Living Thing; Parents' Choice Award, 1986, Newbery Medal honor book, ALA, and Horn Book honor book, 1987, all for A Fine White Dust; ALA best book for young adults citation, 1988, for A Kindness; Ohioana Award, 1990, for But I'll Be Back Again; Parents' Choice Award (picture book) and Boston Globe/Horn Book honor book for nonfiction, 1991, and Ohioana Award, 1992, all for Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds; Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for children's fiction, Reading Magic Award, and Parents' Choice Award, all 1992, and John Newbery Medal and Hungry Mind Award, both 1993, all for Missing May; ALA best book for young adults citation, for A Couple of Kooks and Other Stories about Love; School Library Journal best book of the year citation, 1997, for Children of Christmas; Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Book, 2004, for God Went to Beauty School. Several of Rylant's "Henry and Mudge" books have received child-selected awards, including Garden State Children's Book Award, Children's Services Section of the New Jersey Library Association, and Children's Choice Award, Association of Booksellers for Children. In 1983, When I Was Young in the Mountains was named a Caldecott Honor Book for its illustrations by Diane Goode. The Relatives Came was named a New York Times best illustrated book, 1985, and a Caldecott Medal honor book, 1986, for its illustrations by Stephen Gammell.

Writings

FOR CHILDREN; PICTURE BOOKS AND EARLY FICTION, EXCEPT AS NOTED

When I Was Young in the Mountains, illustrated by Diane Goode, Dutton (New York, NY), 1982.

Miss Maggie, illustrated by Thomas DiGrazia, Dutton (New York, NY), 1983.

This Year's Garden, illustrated by Mary Szilagyi, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1984.

The Relatives Came, illustrated by Stephen Gammell, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1985.

Night in the Country, illustrated by Mary Szilagyi, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1986.

Birthday Presents, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1987.

All I See, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1988.

Mr. Griggs' Work, illustrated by Julie Downing, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1989.

An Angel for Solomon Singer, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1992.

Best Wishes (autobiographical picture book), photographs by Carlo Ontal, Richard C. Owen (Katonah, NY), 1992.

The Dreamer, illustrated by Barry Moser, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1993.

(Self-illustrated) Dog Heaven, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1995.

Gooseberry Park, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1995.

The Van Gogh Cafe (middle-grade fiction), Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1995.

The Bookshop Dog, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1996.

The Whales, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1996.

The Old Woman Who Named Things, illustrated by Kathryn Brown, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1996.

(Self-illustrated) Cat Heaven, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1997.

An Everyday Book, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1997.

Bear Day, illustrated by Jennifer Selby, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1998.

Tulip Sees America, illustrated by Lisa Desimini, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1998.

The Bird House, illustrated by Barry Moser, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1998.

Scarecrow, illustrated by Lauren Stringer, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1998.

The Heavenly Village, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1999.

The Cookie-Store Cat, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1999.

Bunny Bungalow, illustrated by Nancy Hayashi, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1999.

The Troublesome Turtle, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1999.

Puzzling Possum, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1999.

Let's Go Home: The Wonderful Things about a House, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2000.

In November, illustrated by Jill Kastner, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2000.

Thimbleberry Stories, illustrated by Maggie Kneen, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2000.

The Ticky-Tacky Doll, illustrated by Harvey Stevenson, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2000.

The Great Gracie Chase, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 2001.

Good Morning Sweetie Pie, and Other Poems for Little Children, illustrated by Jane Dyer, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2001.

Old Town in the Green Groves: The Lost Little-House Years, illustrated by Jim LaMarche, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2002.

Christmas in the Country, illustrated by Diane Goode, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 2002.

Moonlight, the Halloween Cat, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.

Long Night Moon, illustrated by Mark Siegel, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2004.

The Stars Will Shine Tonight, illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.

Puppies and Piggies, illustrated by Ivan Bates, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2005.

Miracles in Motion, illustrated by Lambert Davis, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 2005.

If You'll Be My Valentine, illustrated by Fumi Kosaka, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.

Rylant's papers are housed in Special Collections at Kent State University, Kent, OH.

"HENRY AND MUDGE" SERIES; BEGINNING READERS

Henry and Mudge: The First Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by James Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1987.

Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble: The Second Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by James Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1987.

Henry and Mudge in the Green Time: The Third Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1987.

Henry and Mudge under the Yellow Moon: The Fourth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1987.

Henry and Mudge in the Sparkle Days: The Fifth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1988.

Henry and Mudge and the Forever Sea: The Sixth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1989.

Henry and Mudge Get the Cold Shivers: The Seventh Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1989.

Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat: The Eighth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1990.

Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps: The Ninth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1991.

Henry and Mudge Take the Big Test: The Tenth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1991.

Henry and Mudge and the Long Weekend: The Eleventh Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1992.

Henry and Mudge and the Wild Wind: The Twelfth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1992.

Henry and Mudge and the Careful Cousin: The Thirteenth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1994.

Henry and Mudge and the Best Day of All: The Fourteenth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Bradbury Press (New York, NY), 1995.

Henry and Mudge in the Family Trees: The Fifteenth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1997.

Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Crackers: The Sixteenth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night: The Seventeenth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

Henry and Mudge and Annie's Good Move: The Eighteenth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

Henry and Mudge and Annie's Perfect Pet: The Nineteenth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Henry and Mudge and the Funny Lunch: The Twentieth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Henry and Mudge and the Tall Tree House: The Twenty-first Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999, illustrated by Carolyn Bracken, 2002.

Henry and Mudge and Mrs. Hopper's House: The Twenty-second Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999, illustrated by Carolyn Bracken, 2003.

Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas: The Twenty-third Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Henry and Mudge and a Very Special Merry Christmas: The Twenty-fourth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999, illustrated by Carolyn Bracken, 2004.

Henry and Mudge and the Snowman Plan: The Twenty-fifth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Henry and Mudge and the Wild Goose Chase: The Twenty-sixth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999 illustrated by Carolyn Bracken, 2003.

Henry and Mudge and the Big Sleepover: The Twenty-seventh Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Henry and Mudge and the Tumbling Trip: The Twenty-eighth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Puppy Mudge Takes a Bath, illustrated by Isidre Mones, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002.

Puppy Mudge Has a Snack, illustrated by Isidre Mones, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2003.

Puppy Mudge Loves His Blanket, illustrated by Isidre Mones, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2005.

Some of Rylant's "Henry and Mudge" books have been translated into Spanish and published in Braille.

"EVERYDAY BOOKS" SERIES; SELF-ILLUSTRATED BOARD BOOKS

The Everyday Pets, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1993.

The Everyday Children, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1993.

The Everyday Garden, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1993.

The Everyday House, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1993.

The Everyday School, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1993.

The Everyday Town, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1993.

"MR. PUTTER AND TABBY" SERIES; BEGINNING READERS

Mr. Putter and Tabby Walk the Dog, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1994.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Pour the Tea, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1994.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Bake the Cake, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1994.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick the Pears, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1995.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Fly the Plane, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1997.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Row the Boat, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1997.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Toot the Horn, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1998.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Take the Train, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1998.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Paint the Porch, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2000.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Feed the Fish, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2001.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Catch the Cold, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2002.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Stir the Soup, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2003.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Write the Book, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2004.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Make a Wish, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2005.

"BLUE HILL MEADOWS" SERIES; MIDDLE-GRADE FICTION

The Blue Hill Meadows, illustrated by Ellen Beier, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1997.

The Blue Hill Meadows and the Much-loved Dog, illustrated by Ellen Beier, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1997.

"POPPLETON" SERIES; BEGINNING READERS

Poppleton, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1997.

Poppleton and Friends, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1997.

Poppleton Everyday, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1998.

Poppleton Forever, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1998.

Poppleton in Fall, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1999.

Poppleton in Spring, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1999.

Poppleton in Winter, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 2001.

"COBBLE STREET COUSINS" SERIES; MIDDLE-GRADE FICTION

In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

A Little Shopping, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

Some Good News, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Special Gifts, (also published as Winter Gifts ), illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Spring Deliveries, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Summer Party, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2001.

Wedding Flowers, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002.

"HIGH-RISE PRIVATE EYES" SERIES

The Case of the Missing Monkey, illustratedy by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2000.

The Case of the Climbing Cat, illustratedy by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2000.

The Case of the Puzzling Possum, illustratedy by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2001.

The Case of the Troublesome Turtle, illustratedy by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2001.

The Case of the Sleepy Sloth, illustratedy by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2002.

The Case of the Fidgety Fox, illustratedy by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2003.

The Case of the Baffled Bear, illustratedy by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2004.

The Case of the Desparate Duck, illustratedy by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2005.

"LITTLE WHISTLE" SERIES

Little Whistle, illustrated by Tim Bowers, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2000.

Little Whistle's Dinner Party, illustrated by Tim Bowers, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2001.

Little Whistle's Medicine, illustrated by Tim Bowers, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2002.

Little Whistle's Christmas, illustrated by Tim Bowers, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2003.

"LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY" SERIES

The Storm, illustrated by Preston McDaniels, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002.

The Whale, illustrated by Preston McDaniels, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2003.

The Eagle, illustrated by Preston McDaniels, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2004.

The Turtle, illustrated by Preston McDaniels, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2005.

The Octopus, illustrated by Preston McDaniels, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2005.

FOR YOUNG ADULTS; NOVELS AND SHORT STORIES

A Blue-eyed Daisy (young adult novel), Bradbury (New York, NY), 1985, published as Some Year for Ellie, illustrated by Kate Rogers, Viking Kestrel (London, England), 1986.

Every Living Thing (short stories), illustrated by S. D. Schindler, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1985.

A Fine White Dust (young adult novel), Bradbury (New York, NY), 1986.

Children of Christmas: Stories for the Season, illustrated by S. D. Schindler, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1987, published as Silver Packages and Other Stories, [London, England], 1987, selection published as Silver Packages: An Appalachian Christmas Story, illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet, Orchard Books, 1997.

A Kindness (young adult novel), Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1988.

A Couple of Kooks: And Other Stories about Love, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1990.

Missing May (young adult novel), Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1992.

I Had Seen Castles (young adult novel), Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1993.

The Islander (young adult novel), DK Ink (New York, NY), 1998.

FOR YOUNG ADULTS; POETRY

Waiting to Waltz a Childhood, illustrated by Stephen Gammell, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1984.

Soda Jerk, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1990.

Something Permanent, photographs by Walker Evans, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1994.

God Went to Beauty School, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.

Boris, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2005.

FOR YOUNG ADULTS; NONFICTION

But I'll Be Back Again: An Album (autobiography), Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1989.

Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds, illustrated by Barry Moser, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1991.

Margaret, Frank, and Andy: Three Writers' Stories (biography) Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1996, published in three volumes as A Story of Margaret Wise Brown, A Story of L. Frank Baum, and A Story of E. B. White.

Bless Us All: A Child's Yearbook of Blessings, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

Give Me Grace: A Child's Daybook of Prayers, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Adaptations

When I Was Young in the Mountains, 1983, This Year's Garden, 1983, and The Relatives Came, 1986, were adapted as filmstrips by Random House. When I Was Young in the Mountains and The Relatives Came were released on audio cassette by SRA McGraw-Hill, 1985. This Year's Garden was released on audio cassette by SRA McGraw-Hill, 1987. Henry and Mudge in the Green Time was released on audio cassette by SRA McGraw-Hill, 1988. Children of Christmas and EveryLiving Thing were released as book and audio versions in 1993. Missing May was released on audio cassette by BDD Audio, 1996. Henry and Mudge: The First Book, Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps, Henry and Mudge Take the Big Test, and Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat were released on audio cassette by Recorded Books, 1997. Missing May was released on audio cassette by Recorded Books, 1997. The Children of Christmas and Every Living Thing were released on audio cassette by Chivers North America, 1997. A Fine White Dust was released on audio cassette by Recorded Books, 1997. Henry and Mudge in Puddle trouble and Henry and Mudge under the Yellow Moon were released on audio cassette by Live Oak Media, 1998. Several of Rylant's books are available on film through American School Publishers.

Sidelights

A prolific author and illustrator of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for children and young adults, Cynthia Rylant often bases her works on her own background, especially on her childhood in the West Virginia mountains. She is the creator of contemporary novels and historical fiction for young adults, middle-grade fiction and fantasy, lyrical prose poems, beginning readers, collections of short stories, volumes of poetry and verse, books of prayers and blessings, two autobiographies, and several biographical works. Some of her fiction for beginning readers are published in series, including the popular "Henry and Mudge" easy readers about a small boy and his very large dog. Other easy-to-read volumes include rhyming picture-books such as If You'll Be My Valentine and the highly praised Long Night Moon which describes the different moons that Native American cultures use to mark the changing seasons. School Library Journal Kathleen Whalin described Long Night Moon as a "thoughtful" and "radiant offering" for bed-time reading and added: "books this good come along once in a blue moon."

While her elementary school-aged fans are legion, Rylant is perhaps best known as a novelist. Characteristically, she portrays introspective, compassionate young people who live in rural settings or in small towns and who tend to be set apart from their peers. Her young male and female protagonists meet challenges with the help of their families and friends as well as from within their strong, supportive communities. Praised for her sensitive depiction of young people and their emotions, Rylant is also acknowledged for her rounded characterizations of adults, especially the elderly, and for exploring themes such as religion and death that are not often addressed in children's literature. Rylant often focuses on relationships between the old and the young and between people and animals. In addition, she underscores her works with such themes as the act of creation, both by God and by human artists; the transforming power of love; the importance of all living things; and the need to let go.

In addition to writing, Rylant also contributes illustrations to her own books on occasion. She began illustrating some of her picture-book texts in the early 1990s and has developed a folk-art style that complements her stories. She has also worked with several outstanding illustrators, including as Peter Catalanotto, Barry Moser, G. Brian Karas, James and Suçie Stevenson, and Walker Evans, and two of her books were honored by the Caldecott Medal committee for their illustrations by Diane Goode and Stephen Gammell, respectively.

Writing in Children's Books and Their Creators, Eden K. Edwards wrote that Rylant "demonstrates an inimitable ability to evoke the strongest of emotions from the simplest of words . In her work, Rylant gives depth and dignity to a litany of quiet characters and sagaciously reflects on some of life's most confusing mysteries." Miriam Lang Budin of School Library Journal noted that readers "have come to expect resonant, deeply felt work from Rylant," while Hollis Lowery-Moore of St. James Guide to Young Adult Writers concluded: "All of Rylant's stories, including her picture story books marketed for younger readers, create memorable characters and places and provide teens with a window on the world."

Many of Rylant's works are rooted in the memories and images of her childhood. Born in Hopewell, West Virginia, Rylant spent her first four years in Illinois, where she lived with her father, John Tune Smith, a sergeant in the U.S. Army who had fought in the Korean War, and her mother, Leatrel Rylant Smith. When she was four, Rylant's parents separated, and she went to live with her mother's parents in the Appalachian mining town of Coal Ridge, West Virginia. Rylant never saw her father again. He died in a veteran's hospital in Florida when she was thirteen years old. As Rylant wrote in But I'll Be Back Again: An Album, "I did not have a chance to know him or to say goodbye to him, and that is all the loss I needed to become a writer."

Rylant's mother soon left the family to attend nursing school, and was gone for nearly four years. Although Leatrel Smith wrote regularly and visited a few times a year, "it was," Rylant recalled in her autobiography, "not enough for a little girl." Happily, though, Rylant's grandparents and extended family provided a positive, nurturing environment, and it was in her grandmother's "love and safety, and the kind presence of my grandfather, that I managed to survive the loss of my dear parents." Quiet, gentle people, Rylant's grandparents raised six children without much income. After her grandfather, a coal miner, was disabled during a slate fall in a mine, the family lived by the couple's wits and on food supplied by the government. Living in a four-room house without running water or indoor plumbing, Rylant learned about the joys of country life and the kindness of the townspeople. She summarized her years in Coal Ridge in But I'll Be Back Again: "My years with my grandparents were good ones, and while I waited for both my father and my mother to come back, I had big stacks of pancakes and hot cocoa, hot dogs and chickens, teaberry leaves and honeysuckle, and aunts and cousins to sleep with at night and hug until someone could return for me."

When Rylant was eight years old, her mother returned for her and the two moved to Beaver, a town near Coal Ridge. There they settled in a three-room apartment with running water, an indoor bathroom, and a television set. When she was nine, Rylant fell in love with Beatles bassist Paul McCartney. As she wrote in Something about the Author Autobiography Series (SAAS): "The Beatles gave me a childhood of sweetest anticipation. Our country was falling apart with war and riots and assassinations but the Beatles gave me shelter from these things in their music and in the dreams they caused me to dream." The title of her autobiography, But I'll Be Back Again, is taken from a Beatles song.

During her early years, Rylant was not much of a reader. In fact, as she wrote in SAAS, "I did not see many books." There were no libraries or bookstores in Beaver, so adults got paperbacks from the drug stores and children read comic books. As she mused in SAAS, "I guess most people assume that future famous authors are supposed to be reading fat hardbound books and writing poetry by age ten. But all I wanted to do was read Archie and play the Beatles."

Of her final decision to write, she wrote in SAAS: "It wasn't an obvious talent, it wasn't piles of poems or short stories which were the hints in my childhood that I might be a writer someday. The clues were much more subtle and had something to do with the way I grieved over stray animals, the heroes I chose (a presidential candidate, a symphony orchestra conductor), and the love I had of solitude. It is called sensitivity, this quality which sets creative people apart . [I]f they possess only a little-more-than-reasonable amount, they can see into things more deeply than other people and can write or paint or sing what they saw in a way that moves people profoundly."

In junior high, Rylant was a typical boy-crazy preteen, but high school was more difficult. When she was thirteen years old, Rylant's father died, and she was also deeply affected by the assassination of Massachusetts senator Robert Kennedy, whom she had met when he came to West Virginia as part of his presidential campaign. Rylant also fell in love with a boy from school, and when he dropped her for another girl, she was devastated. She took him back, but he did the same thing a year later. Consumed by this relationship, she did not have girl friends to turn to for companionship. As she wrote in SAAS, "probably no one would have guessed in a million years how lonely I was. I was head majorette, a school queen, always the president of this or that. But those things could not give me what I lackedone true friend."

Enrolling at Morris Harvey College (now the University of Charleston), Rylant initially planned to go into nursing like her mother, but switched her major after taking her first college English class. As she recalled n SAAS, "I heard and read stories I had never heard or read before, and I was in love with words." While she did well academically, for her "the real achievement was more personal. I began to think for myself, to throw off some of the RULES OF LIFE that had been drummed into me in my small town, and my mind began to grow and blossom . I became really alive." She became editor of the campus newspaper and was active in a variety of other campus activities. "I liked college so much that when I finished I didn't want to stop being a student," Rylant noted in SAAS.

Her first year of graduate school at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, was "without a doubt the happiest year of my life . I loved literature so much and every day all I had to do was attend class and listen to it and talk about it and write about it. Like a chocolate lover at a Hershey's factory, I was completely content." After receiving her master's degree in 1976, Rylant married a young man who taught classical guitar and was learning to be a carpenter. She also got a job at the public library in Huntington, working in the children's room. Reading the books she was supposed to be shelving, she discovered a brand new world. "I was enchanted. I read children's books all night long . And I knew, with a certainty like I'd never had about anything before, that I wanted to write children's books. And I believed I would be good at it. I wasn't afraid of it."

Rylant bought a copy of The Writer's Market, a book containing publisher information, and started writing. She was particularly influenced by Donald Hall's poetic picture book The Ox-Cart Man and Randall Jarrell's lyrical novella The Animal Family, works she called "perfect little pieces of art." Shortly after she started writing, Rylant and her husband had a son, Nathaniel, whom they named after Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of Rylant's favorite authors.

Even while keeping up with the many tasks of motherhood, Rylant managed to keep writing; six months after the birth of her son she wrote the words "when I was young in the mountains." "I don't know where they came from," she wrote in SAAS. "I guess from the twenty-four years I had lived. From all the fine books I had read. From angels." In an hour, she had finished her first book. Without revising it, she sent it to E. P. Dutton publishers, and When I Was Young in the Mountains was published in 1982.

A picture book describing Rylant's childhood with her grandparents in Appalachia, When I Was Young in the Mountains is a collection of vignettes about the busy, joyous life of a small community. The book was favorably received by critics such as a Publishers Weekly reviewer who stated that the author's debut "proves she knows precisely how to tell a story that brings the reader into the special world of her recollecting . These are memories of a way of living that will entrance readers and broaden their outlook." Writing in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Zena Sutherland noted that When I Was Young in the Mountains "is given appeal by the warmth and contentment that emerge from an account of daily satisfaction and small, occasional joys, described with appropriate simplicity."

After the success of her first book, Rylant began to mine what she called in SAAS, the "a gold mine of stories stored up in my head. Memories I could use to make books. I wrote and wrote, sold book after book, most of them true or partly true. All of them realistic. And most coming as quick and pure as that first book came." 1984's Waiting to Waltz: A Childhood collects thirty autobiographical poems in free verse that outline the author's reminiscences of the next stage of her life: growing up in Beaver, West Virginia. In this work, Rylant portrays the happy and sad times she felt, such as the death of her father, while offering incisive portraits of local townspeople. A reviewer in Publishers Weekly wrote that everyone in Beaver "becomes as real to the reader as they are to Rylant," while Ethel R. Twichell predicted in a Horn Book review that the poems "will gently pluck a long-forgotten memory or awaken a shared experience."

Rylant's marriage to her first husband ended after a few years, and she then was married briefly to a college professor. Meanwhile, she worked as a part-time English teacher at Marshall University for a year, then relocated to Kent, Ohio. Rylant received her library science degree from Kent State University in 1982 and got a job at the Akron Public Library as a children's librarian and at the University of Akron as a part-time English teacher. In 1985 she published her first novel, A Blue-eyed Daisy. The story describes a year in the life of Ellie Farley, an eleven year old living in the hills of West Virginia. Ellie recounts several memorable moments that occur over the course of her eleventh year, such as getting kissed at her first co-ed party and attending the funeral of a classmate. Throughout the narrative, Ellie deepens her relationship with her father, Okey, a former miner who lost his job in an accident. A reviewer in Publishers Weekly said of A Blue-eyed Daisy: "No reader will be able to resist Ellie or her kith and kin. Their ability to live life and endure ills is the core of an exquisite novel, written with love." Katherine Bruner, writing in School Library Journal, added that Rylant's "low-key, evocative style is the shining quality which sets this book apart."

In 1986 Rylant published one of her most well-received books, the young-adult novel A Fine White Dust. In this work, Pete, a seventh-grader who lives in the rural South, becomes a born-again Christian after being converted by charismatic preacher James W. Carson. When Carson offers Pete the chance to go with him as his disciple, the boy decides, after much soul-searching, to leave his parents and his best friend, Rufus. Carson, who is viewed by Pete as God in the flesh, eventually runs off with Darlene, a young woman who works at the town soda fountain. Although Pete feels betrayed, he comes through his experience with an unshaken faith in God and a more realistic view of human nature. A critic in Kirkus Reviews stated that "Rylant has explored a theme vital to many young people but rare in children's books." Writing in School Library Journal, Julie Cummins noted: "Few books have explored young people's fascination with God and their soul . Like Peter, this story has soul." Calling the novel "an achingly resonant portrayal of a naive youth," Denise M. Wilms wrote in Booklist that A Fine White Dust is "poignant and perceptive, with almost all of the characters subtly drawn." A Fine White Dust was designated as a Newbery Medal honor book in 1987.

Henry and Mudge: The First Book of Their Adventures made its appearance in 1987. Based on her son and a dog Rylant knew, the book introduces Henry, an only child. When he receives a pet, Mudge, a three-foot-tall dog that appears to be a cross between a Saint Bernard and a Great Dane, the two form a deep attachment. Tension comes when Mudge is lost, but happiness is restored when he is found again. Rylant presents lots of humorous details, such as Mudge's drooling and love of dirty socks, in prose that is designed for beginning readers. Reviewing Henry and Mudge and the second volume of the series, Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble, a critic for Kirkus Reviews called the author's language "easy to read but vividly evocative" and concluded: "Warm, loving, and gently philosophical, these stories about an only child and his closest companion deserve a place in every library collection."

Rylant has written dozens more volumes about Henry and Mudge. In Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat she describes the arrival of a scraggly lost kitty to Henry's home. Mudge and the cat form an immediate bond, and the dog is heartbroken when the cat's owner finally claims the kitty; however, Mudge is pleased with the owner's gift of thirty huge bones. Writing in School Library Journal, Trev Jones said that the story "sparkles with good humor and affection," while Betsy Hearne stated in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books that while "It's hard to keep a series fresh, especially at the easy-to-read level, this may be the best Henry and Mudge book since the first two."

In Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps, the pair take a trip to Grandmother's house in the country. When Mudge is deemed too large for the small home and is made to sleep outside, Henry is afraid both for Mudge and for himself. However, when Mudge finds a spot under a large table on the porch, both he and Henry curl up happily and fall sleep. Henry and Mudge and the Wild Goose Chase find the pair find adventure on an egg-buying trip to a local farm, while in Henry and Mudge and the Funny Lunch Henry and his dad cook up something incredible for Mother's Day. Writing in Horn Book, Elizabeth S. Watson noted that in Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps Rylant "has developed a fresh, warm, imaginative, and yet absolutely realistic tale for the beginning reader." Hazel Rochman praised the more recent Henry and Mudge and the Funny Lunch, noting that the 2004 book is "bound to get kids laughing, reading, and maybe cooking, too."

In addition to the autobiographical But I'll Be Back Again, Rylant created Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds, a picture book for older readers that poetically evokes the spirit of Appalachia in a tribute to the region and its people. The author describes the living conditions, hard work, customs, activities, and personalities of the Appalachian people in lyrical prose. Illustrated with realistic paintings by artist Barry Moser who, like Rylant, has roots in Appalachia, the book was praised by several critics as an excellent marriage of text and picture. Barbara Chatton noted in School Library Journal that the book should "encourage original writing or art as it reveals how illustrations and words can interact, how prose can illuminate a painting, and how simple paintings can bring power to prose." A critic in Kirkus Reviews, citing Rylant's "carefully pitched, melodious voice," concluded that Appalachia is "a special book for creative sharing." A reviewer in Publishers Weekly stated, "Neither story nor factual treatise, the text offers pure nostalgiaa skillfully structured essay that appears, deceptively, to meander like a dusty country lane and underscores the warmth, generosity of spirit and steadfastness" of the Appalachian people.

With Missing May, a novel for young adults published in 1992, Rylant created what is perhaps her most highly acclaimed book. The story outlines how twelve-year-old Summer, who came to stay with her Aunt May and Uncle Ob in West Virginia after the death of her mother six years before, attempts to save her uncle from despair after the death of his beloved wife. In the midst of his mourning, Ob senses May's presence. Looking for an interpreter, Ob and Summer settle on Cletus, an unusual boy from Summer's class who once had a near-death experience and is, according to Voice of Youth Advocates reviewer Caroline S. McKinney, "as full of the energy for living as Ob is with the numbness of grieving." Through his suggestion, the trio go to Charleston to find a medium at the Spiritualist Church, and the trip begins a personal quest for each of them. McKinney concluded that "Missing May will be passed around by many of us who love beautiful words. It will speak in that warm, flowing West Virginia tongue to young people and old." Betsy Hearne wrote in a Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books review that "Strong nuances of despair and hope create a suspense that forcefully replaces action and that will touch readers to tears," while Booklist contributor Ilene Cooper wrote that "Rylant makes us aware of the possibilities of life, even in the midst of tragedy. There is a freshness here that feels like a cool breeze." Missing May received the Newbery Medal in 1993.

Since the early 1990s Rylant has increasingly concentrated on developing series titles for younger readers, such as the "Lighthouse Family," High-rise Private Eyes," and self-illustrated "Everyday Books" series. "Short sentences, peppy dialogue, and well developed characters" are the hallmarks of the "High-rise Private Eyes" series, according to Horn Book reviewer Kitty Flynn. In titles such as The Case of the Baffled Bear and The Case of the Troublesome Turtle a pair of animal detectives solve a series of simple quandaries that find their friends in a pickle. Board books for very young children, the "Everyday Books" introduce toddlers to literature by centering on subjects familiar to them, such as their homes and pets. The first of Rylant's works to include her own illustrations, the "Everyday Books" feature the artist's child-appealing collages.

Rylant's other self-illustrated titles include The Whales, The Cookie-Store Cat, and Dog Heaven. A playful book, Dog Heaven portrays the author/illustrator's idea of what dogs experience in the afterlife, such as fields to run in, plenty of angel children to pet them, and appetizing cat-shaped biscuits to eat. The book is illustrated in bright acrylics that blend naive forms with unusual colors. According to a critic in Kirkus Reviews, the illustrations are "infused with simple doggy joy," while in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Roger Sutton wrote that Rylant maintains "a plain, conversational tone that resists gooeyness" while her "paintings allow viewers to imagine their own pets at play in the fields of the Lord." Another self-illustrated work, Cat Heaven, describes a kitty afterlife full of trees and clouds to perch on, soft angel laps to sit on, lots of toys to play with, and full dishes of food to eat. A critic in Kirkus Reviews called the book "every bit as rich in eye-dimming sentiment as Dog Heaven " and a work sure to "kindle sighs even from the feline-indifferent."

A love of cats figures prominently in several of Rylant's works, including her multi-book series "Mr. Putter and Tabby," and the poetry collection Boris. The "Mr. Putter and Tabby" series features the domestic duo engaged in riveting adventures set forth in titles such as Mr. Putter and Tabby Stir the Soup and Mr. Putter and Tabby Catch the Cold. Each of these easy-to read volumes features the man and his pet attending to simple activities only to be thwarted by unruly appliances or other obstructions. In Mr. Putter and Tabby Stir the Soup plans for a favorite dinner are put on the back burner when the stove refuses to light, forcing the cooks to bring their recipe to neighbor Mrs. Teaberry's kitchen. Mrs. Teaberry becomes their rescuer in Mr. Putter and Tabby Catch the Cold, when man and cat are laid low by a cold, and in Mr. Putter and Tabby Make a Wish, Mr. Putter realizes that one is never too old to celebrate a birthday. A School Library Journal writer dubbed Mr. Putter and Tabby Stir the Soup a "satisfyingly silly romp."

Boris joins works such as Rylant's award-winning God Went to Beauty School as acclaimed collections of poetry that present the author's more reflective side. Containing nineteen poems, Boris addresses a beloved gray cat and its many adventures since arriving at Rylant's door. Comprising what Horn Book reviewer Jennifer M. Brabander praised as an "accessible, compelling story." While Brabander predicted that Boris will satisfy pet-loving readers who "will easily relate to the poems and their theme of companionship," Ilene Cooper noted in Booklist that the volume also speaks to deeper issues through its "subtext" about "the inevitability of change."

In an interview with Anita Silvey for Horn Book, Rylant once commented that writing "has given me a sense of self-worth that I didn't have my whole childhood. I am really proud of that. The [books] have carried me through some troubled times and have made me feel that I am worthy of having a place on this earth." In SAAS, the author concluded: "I will write, because I have to earn my way and because it seems to be what God put me here to do. I hope one day to write a great book, a magnificent book, which people will buy for those they love best, which they will place in someone else's hands and say: 'Before you do anything else, you must read this.'"

Biographical and Critical Sources

BOOKS

Authors & Artists for Young Adults, Volume 10, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1993, pp. 163-168.

Children's Books and Their Creators, edited by Anita Silvey, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1995, p. 567.

Children's Literature Review, Volume 15, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1988, pp. 167-174.

Rylant, Cynthia, Best Wishes, Richard C. Owen, 1992, pp. 5-7.

Rylant, Cynthia, But I'll Be Back Again: An Album, Beech Tree Books/Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1993.

St. James Guide to Children's Writers, 5th edition, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1999.

St. James Guide to Young Adult Writers, edited by Tom and Sara Pendergast, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1999, pp. 731-733.

Sixth Book of Junior Authors and Illustrators, edited by Sally Holmes Holtze, H. W. Wilson (Bronx, NY), 1989, pp. 255-256.

Something about the Author Autobiography Series, Volume 13, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1991, pp. 155-163.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 1, 1986, Denise M. Wilms, review of A Fine White Dust, p. 67; May 15, 1989, Denise M. Wilms, review of But I'll Be Back Again: An Album, p. 1655; February 15, 1992, Ilene Cooper, "The Other Side of Good-bye," p. 1105; June 1, 1993, pp. 1993-1994; September 1, 1997, p. 135l; February 15, 2001, p. 1142; May 1, 2001, p. 1684; May 15, 2001, Gillian Engberg, review of The Case of the Troublesome Turtle, p. 1753; June 1, 2001, Ilene Cooper, review of Summer Party, p. 1884; September 15, 2001, Ilene Cooper, review of Good Morning, Sweetie Pie: And Other Poems for Children, p. 229; October 1, 2001, p. 326; February, 15, 2002, Lauren Peterson, review of Wedding Flowers, p. 1015; March 1, 2002, Gillian Engberg, review of Little Whistle's Medicine, p. 1144; April 15, 2002, Ilene Cooper, review of Let's Go Home: The Wonderful Things about a House, p. 68; May 1, 2002, Kay Weisman, review of Old Town in the Green Groves, p. 1527; August, 2002, p. 1985; September 1, 2002, Ilene Cooper, review of The Ticky-Tacky Doll, p. 137; September 15, 2002, Diane Foote, review of Christmas in the Country, p. 247; November 1, 2002, Ilene Cooper, review of Mr. Putter and Tabby Catch the Cold, p. 509; January 1, 2003, Hazel Rochman, review of Henry and Mudge and the Tall Tree House, p. 910; January 1, 2003, Connie Fletcher, review of The Case of the Sleepy Sloth, p. 893; March 15, 2003, Gillian Engberg, review of Henry and Mudge and Mrs. Hopper's House, p. 1333; September 1, 2003, Kay Weisman, review of The Whale, p. 121; October 1, 2003, Carolyn Phelan, review of Henry and Mudge and the Wild Goose Chase, p. 329; March 15, 2004, Hazel Rochman, review of Henry and Mudge and the Funny Lunch, p. 1310; July, 2004, Carolyn Phelan, review of The Case of the Baffled Bear, p. 1852; November 15, 2004, Ilene Cooper, review of Long Night Moon, p. 591; February 15, 2005, Ilene Cooper, review of Boris, p. 1074.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, April, 1982, Zena Sutherland, review of When I Was Young in the Mountains, p. 157; July-August, 1989, Betsy Hearne, review of But I'll Be Back Again, p. 283; October, 1990, Betsy Hearne, review of Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat, pp. 43-44; March, 1992, Betsy Hearne, review of Missing May, p. 192; October, 1995, Roger Sutton, review of Dog Heaven, pp. 66-67; November, 1997, Pat Mathews, review of Cat Heaven, p. 100.

Children's Book Review Service, November, 1984, Leigh Dean, review of Waiting to Waltz: A Childhood, p. 32.

Horn Book, January-February, 1985, Ethel R. Twichell, review of Waiting to Waltz: A Childhood, p. 64; November-December, 1987, Anita Silvey, interview with Rylant, pp. 695-703; May-June, 1991, Elizabeth S. Watson, review of Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps, pp. 328-329; March-April, 1992, p. 206; May, 2001, review of The Case of the Troublesome Turtle, p. 337; November-December, 2002, Mary M. Burns, review of Christmas in the Country, p. 738; September-October, 2004, Kitty Flynn, review of The Case of the Baffled Bear, p. 599; January-February, 2005, review of God Went to Beauty School, p. 30; May-June, 2005, Jennifer M. Brabander, review of Boris, p. 341.

Instructor, April, 1994, p. 60.

Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 1986, review of A Fine White Dust, pp. 1023-1024; February 15, 1987, review of Henry and Mudge and Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble, p. 300; February 1, 1991, review of Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps, p. 184; March 1, 1991, review of Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds, p. 322; July 1, 1995, review of Dog Heaven, p. 951; July 1, 1997, review of Cat Heaven, p. 1035; September 1, 2001, p. 1300; January 15, 2002, review of Little Whistle's Medicine, p. 108; April 15, 2002, review of Let's Go Home, p. 577; June 15, 2002, review of The Case of the Sleepy Sloth, p. 888; August 1, 2002, review of The Ticky-Tacky Doll, p. 141; October 15, 2002, review of Mr. Putter and Tabby Catch the Cold, p. 1538; November 1, 2002, review of Christmas in the Country, p. 135; March 1, 2003, review of The Case of the Fidgety Fox, p. 397; June 15, 2003, review of God Went to Beauty School, p. 864; December 15, 2004, review of If You'll Be My Valentine, p. 1207; March 1, 2005, review of The Turtle, p. 294; March 15, 2005, review of Boris, p. 357.

Kliatt, May, 2002, Paula Rohrlick, "The Heavenly Village," p. 29.

New York Times Book Review, June 30, 1990, p. 24; January 26, 1993, p. C16.

Publishers Weekly, March 19, 1982, review of When I Was Young in the Mountains, pp. 70-71; August 17, 1984, review of Waiting to Waltz: A Childhood, p. 60; March 8, 1985, review of A Blue-eyed Daisy, p. 91; July 27, 1990, p. 128; March 1, 1991, review of Appalachia, p. 74; February 3, 1992, p. 82; July 21, 1997, p. 178; January 8, 2001, p. 68; April 2, 2001, review of Little Whistle, p. 63; June 18, 2001, p. 83; September, 3, 2001, review of Good Morning, Sweetie Pie, p. 86; March 18, 2002, p. 105; April 22, 2002, review of Let's Go Home, p. 68; August 5, 2002, review of The Ticky-Tacky Doll, p. 71; August 26, 2002, review of The Storm, p. 69; June 89, 2003, review of God Went to Beauty School, p. 53; October 6, 2003, review of The Whale, p. 86; January 17, 2005, review of Long Night Moon, p. 54;.

Quill & Quire, December, 1990, Susan Perren, review of Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat, p. 19.

School Library Journal, November, 1984, Margaret C. Howell, review of Waiting to Waltz, p. 138; April, 1985, Katherine Bruner, review of A Blue-eyed Daisy, p. 92; September, 1986, Julie Cummins, review of A Fine White Dust, p. 138; July, 1989, Amy Kellman, review of But I'll Be Back Again, p. 97; August, 1990, Trev Jones, review of Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat, p. 134; April, 1991, Nancy Seiner, review of Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps, p. 101; April, 1991, Barbara Chatton, review of Appalachia, p. 137; March, 1992, pp. 241-242; May, 1993, p. 26; October, 1995, Joy Fleishhacker, review of Dog Heaven, p. 115; January, 1999, Miriam Lang Budin, review of Bear Day, pp. 101-102; April, 2001, p. 121; May, 2001, p. 134; July, 2001, p. 88; October, 2001, Patricia Manning, review of Poppleton in Winter, p. 130; December, 2001, p. 128; April, 2002, Carol A. Edwards, review of Old Town in the Green Groves, p. 156; June, 2002, Blair Christolon, review of Let's Go Home, p. 124; August, 2002, pat Leach, review of Wedding Flowers, p. 166; October, 2002, Susan Patron, review of Christmas in the Country, p. 63, and Lynda S. Poling, review of Mr. Putter and Tabby Catch the Cold, p. 130; November, 2002, Sheilah Kosco, review of The Ticky-Tacky Doll, p. 134; December, 2002, Laura Scott, review of The Case of the Sleepy Sloth, p. 108; February, 2003, Lee Bock, review of The Old Woman Who Named Things, p. 97; March, 2003, p. 90; April, 2003, Marilyn Taniguchi, review of Puppy Mudge Takes a Bath, p. 137; May, 2003, Doris Losey, review of The Case of the Fidgety Fox, p. 129; July, 2003, Maura Smith, review of Henry and Mudge and the Snowman Plan, p. 59; October, 2003, Maureen Wade, review of Little Whistle's Christmas, p. 67, Maren Ostergard, review of The Case of the Troublesome Turtle, p. 87, and Laura Scott, review of Henry and Mudge and the Wild Goose Chase, p. 137; November, 2003, Barbara Buckley, review of The Whale, p. 115; January, 2004, Laura Scott, review of Puppy Mudge Has a Snack, p. 104; September, 2004, Susan Lissim, review of Mr Putter and Tabby Write the Book, and Bethany L. W. Hankinson, review of The Case of the Baffled Bear, p. 178; November, 2004, Debbie Steward Hoskins, review of The Eagle, p. 117; December, 2004, Rhona Campbell, review of Long Night Moon, p. 120; April, 2005, Cris Riedel, review of Boris, p. 156.

Voice of Youth Advocates, April, 1992, Caroline S. McKinney, review of Missing May, pp. 35-36; April, 2005, Jan Chapman, review of Boris, p. 48.

Rylant, Cynthia 1954-

views updated May 17 2018

Rylant, Cynthia 1954-

Personal

Surname pronounced "Rye-lunt"; born June 6, 1954, in Hopewell, VA; daughter of John Tune (an army sergeant) and Leatrel (a nurse) Smith; twice married (divorced); children (first marriage): Nathaniel. Education: Morris Harvey College (now University of Charleston), B.A., 1975; Marshall University (Huntington, WV), M.A., 1976; Kent State University, M.L.S., 1982. Politics: Democrat. Religion: "Christian, no denomination." Hobbies and other interests: Pets, reading, going to movies, going to the seashore.

Addresses

Home—Eugene, OR. Agent—Steven Malk, Writers House, 3368 Governor Dr., Ste. 224-F, San Diego, CA 92122.

Career

Writer, educator, and librarian. Marshall University, Huntington, WV, part-time English instructor, 1979-80; Akron Public Library, Akron, OH, children's librarian, 1983; University of Akron, Akron, part-time English lecturer, 1983-84; Northeast Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Rootstown, part-time lecturer, 1991—.

Awards, Honors

American Book Award nomination, and American Library Association (ALA) Notable Book designation, both 1983, and English-speaking Union Book-across-the-Sea Ambassador of Honor Award, 1984, all for When I Was Young in the Mountains; National Council for Social Studies Best Book designation, and ALA Notable Book designation, both 1984, and Society of Midland Authors Best Children's Book designation, 1985, all for Waiting to Waltz … a Childhood; Children's Book of the Year designation, Child Study Association of America (CSA), 1985, for The Relatives Came; Children's Book of the Year designation, CSA, 1985, for A Blue-eyed Daisy; Parents' Choice Award, 1986, and Newbery Medal Honor Book designation, 1987, both for A Fine White Dust; ALA Best Book for Young Adults citation, 1988, for A Kindness; Ohioana Award, 1990, for But I'll Be Back Again; ALA Best Book for Young Adults citation, 1990, for A Couple of Kooks and Other Stories about Love; Parents' Choice Award (picture book) and Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Book for Nonfiction designation, both 1991, and Ohioana Award, 1992, all for Appalachia; Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Children's Fiction, Reading Magic Award, and Parents' Choice Award, all 1992, and John Newbery Medal and Hungry Mind Review Award, both 1993, all for Missing May; Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Book designation, 2004, for God Went to Beauty School. Several of Rylant's "Henry and Mudge" books received child-selected awards, including Garden State Children's Book Award, Children's Services Section of the New Jersey Library Association, and Children's Choice Award, Association of Booksellers for Children. In 1983, When I Was Young in the Mountains was named a Caldecott Honor Book for its illustrations by Diane Goode. The Relatives Came was named a New York Times best illustrated book, 1985, and a Caldecott Medal honor book, 1986, for illustrations by Stephen Gammell.

Writings

FOR CHILDREN; PICTURE BOOKS AND EARLY FICTION, EXCEPT AS NOTED

When I Was Young in the Mountains, illustrated by Diane Goode, Dutton (New York, NY), 1982.

Miss Maggie, illustrated by Thomas DiGrazia, Dutton (New York, NY), 1983.

This Year's Garden, illustrated by Mary Szilagyi, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1984.

The Relatives Came, illustrated by Stephen Gammell, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1985.

Night in the Country, illustrated by Mary Szilagyi, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1986.

Birthday Presents, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1987.

All I See, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1988.

Mr. Griggs' Work, illustrated by Julie Downing, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1989.

An Angel for Solomon Singer, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1992.

Best Wishes (autobiographical picture book), photographs by Carlo Ontal, Richard C. Owen (Katonah, NY), 1992.

The Dreamer, illustrated by Barry Moser, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1993.

(Self-illustrated) Dog Heaven, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1995.

Gooseberry Park, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1995.

The Van Gogh Cafe (middle-grade fiction), Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1995.

The Bookshop Dog, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1996.

The Whales, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1996.

The Old Woman Who Named Things, illustrated by Kathryn Brown, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1996.

(Self-illustrated) Cat Heaven, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1997.

An Everyday Book, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1997.

Bear Day, illustrated by Jennifer Selby, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1998.

Tulip Sees America, illustrated by Lisa Desimini, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1998.

The Bird House, illustrated by Barry Moser, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1998.

Scarecrow, illustrated by Lauren Stringer, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1998.

The Heavenly Village, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1999.

The Cookie-Store Cat, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1999.

Bunny Bungalow, illustrated by Nancy Hayashi, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1999.

The Troublesome Turtle, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1999.

Puzzling Possum, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1999.

Let's Go Home: The Wonderful Things about a House, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2000.

In November, illustrated by Jill Kastner, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2000.

Thimbleberry Stories, illustrated by Maggie Kneen, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2000.

The Ticky-Tacky Doll, illustrated by Harvey Stevenson, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2000.

The Great Gracie Chase, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 2001.

Good Morning Sweetie Pie, and Other Poems for Little Children, illustrated by Jane Dyer, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2001.

Old Town in the Green Groves: The Lost Little-House Years, illustrated by Jim LaMarche, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2002.

Christmas in the Country, illustrated by Diane Goode, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 2002.

Moonlight, the Halloween Cat, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.

Long Night Moon, illustrated by Mark Siegel, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2004.

The Stars Will Still Shine, illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.

Puppies and Piggies, illustrated by Ivan Bates, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2005.

Miracles in Motion, illustrated by Lambert Davis, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 2005.

If You'll Be My Valentine, illustrated by Fumi Kosaka, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.

The Case of the Desperate Duck, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow Books (New York, NY), 2005.

The Journey: Stories of Migration, illustrated by Lambert Davis, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 2006.

(Adaptor) Walt Disney's Cinderella, Disney Press (New York, NY), 2007.

Alligator Boy, illustrated by Diane Goode, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2007.

Snow, illustrated by Lauren Stringer, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2008.

Puppies and Piggies, illustrated by Ivan Bates, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2008.

(Reteller) Hansel and Gretel, illustrated by Jen Corace, Hyperion (New York, NY), 2008.

The Beautiful Stories of Life: Six Greek Myths, Retold, illustrated by Carson Ellis, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2008.

Baby Face: A Book of Love for Baby, illustrated by Diane Goode, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2008.

Brownie and Pearl Step Out, illustrated by Brian Biggs, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2009.

Rylant's papers are housed in Special Collections at Kent State University, Kent, OH.

"HENRY AND MUDGE" SERIES; BEGINNING READERS

Henry and Mudge: The First Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by James Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1987.

Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble: The Second Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by James Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1987.

Henry and Mudge in the Green Time: The Third Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1987.

Henry and Mudge under the Yellow Moon: The Fourth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1987.

Henry and Mudge in the Sparkle Days: The Fifth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1988.

Henry and Mudge and the Forever Sea: The Sixth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1989.

Henry and Mudge Get the Cold Shivers: The Seventh Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1989.

Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat: The Eighth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1990.

Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps: The Ninth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1991.

Henry and Mudge Take the Big Test: The Tenth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1991.

Henry and Mudge and the Long Weekend: The Eleventh Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1992.

Henry and Mudge and the Wild Wind: The Twelfth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1992.

Henry and Mudge and the Careful Cousin: The Thirteenth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1994.

Henry and Mudge and the Best Day of All: The Fourteenth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Bradbury Press (New York, NY), 1995.

Henry and Mudge in the Family Trees: The Fifteenth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1997.

Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Crackers: The Sixteenth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night: The Seventeenth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

Henry and Mudge and Annie's Good Move: The Eighteenth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

Henry and Mudge and the Snowman Plan: The Nineteenth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Henry and Mudge and Annie's Perfect Pet: The Twentieth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2000.

Henry and Mudge and the Tall Tree House: The Twenty-first Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Carolyn Bracken, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002.

Henry and Mudge and Mrs. Hopper's House: The Twenty-second Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Carolyn Bracken, 2003.

Henry and Mudge and the Wild Goose Chase: The Twenty-third Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Carolyn Bracken, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2003.

Henry and Mudge and the Funny Lunch: The Twenty-fourth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Carolyn Bracken, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2004.

Henry and Mudge and a Very Special Merry Christmas: The Twenty-fifth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2005.

Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas: The Twenty-sixth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2005.

Henry and Mudge and the Tumbling Trip: The Twenty-seventh Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Carolyn Bracken, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2005.

Henry and Mudge and the Big Sleepover: The Twenty-eighth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2006.

Some of Rylant's "Henry and Mudge" books have been translated into Spanish and published in Braille.

ILLUSTRATOR; "ANNIE AND SNOWBALL" CHILDREN'S BOOKS

Annie and Snowball and the Dress-up Birthday: The First Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2007.

Annie and Snowball and the Prettiest House: The Second Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2007.

Annie and Snowball and the Teacup Club: The Third Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2008.

Annie and Snowball and the Pink Surprise: The Fourth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2008.

Annie and Snowball and the Cozy Nest: The Fifth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2009.

"PUPPY MUDGE" SERIES; BEGINNING READERS

Puppy Mudge Takes a Bath, illustrated by Isidre Mones, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002.

Puppy Mudge Has a Snack, illustrated by Isidre Mones, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2003.

Puppy Mudge Loves His Blanket, illustrated by Isidre Mones, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2005.

Puppy Mudge Wants to Play, illustrated by Isidre Mones, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2005.

Puppy Mudge Finds a Friend, illustrated by Isidre Mones, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2005.

"EVERYDAY BOOKS" SERIES; SELF-ILLUSTRATED BOARD BOOKS

The Everyday Pets, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1993.

The Everyday Children, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1993.

The Everyday Garden, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1993.

The Everyday House, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1993.

The Everyday School, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1993.

The Everyday Town, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1993.

"MR. PUTTER AND TABBY" SERIES; BEGINNING READERS

Mr. Putter and Tabby Walk the Dog, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1994.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Pour the Tea, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1994.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Bake the Cake, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1994.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick the Pears, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1995.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Fly the Plane, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1997.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Row the Boat, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1997.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Toot the Horn, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1998.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Take the Train, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1998.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Paint the Porch, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2000.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Feed the Fish, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2001.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Catch the Cold, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2002.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Stir the Soup, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2003.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Write the Book, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2004.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Make a Wish, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2005.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Spin the Yarn, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2006.

Mr. Putter and Tabby See the Stars, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2007.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Run the Race, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2008.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Spill the Beans, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2009.

"BLUE HILL MEADOWS" SERIES; MIDDLE-GRADE FICTION

The Blue Hill Meadows, illustrated by Ellen Beier, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1997.

The Blue Hill Meadows and the Much-loved Dog, illustrated by Ellen Beier, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1997.

"POPPLETON" SERIES; BEGINNING READERS

Poppleton, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1997.

Poppleton and Friends, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1997.

Poppleton Everyday, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1998.

Poppleton Forever, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1998.

Poppleton in Fall, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1999.

Poppleton in Spring, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1999.

Poppleton in Winter, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 2001.

"COBBLE STREET COUSINS" SERIES; MIDDLE-GRADE FICTION

In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

A Little Shopping, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

Some Good News, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Special Gifts, (also published as Winter Gifts), illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Spring Deliveries, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Summer Party, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2001.

Wedding Flowers, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002.

"HIGH-RISE PRIVATE EYES" SERIES

The Case of the Missing Monkey, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2000.

The Case of the Climbing Cat, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2000.

The Case of the Puzzling Possum, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2001.

The Case of the Troublesome Turtle, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2001.

The Case of the Sleepy Sloth, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2002.

The Case of the Fidgety Fox, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2003.

The Case of the Baffled Bear, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2004.

The Case of the Desperate Duck, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2005.

"LITTLE WHISTLE" SERIES

Little Whistle, illustrated by Tim Bowers, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2000.

Little Whistle's Dinner Party, illustrated by Tim Bowers, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2001.

Little Whistle's Medicine, illustrated by Tim Bowers, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2002.

Little Whistle's Christmas, illustrated by Tim Bowers, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2003.

"LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY" SERIES

The Storm, illustrated by Preston McDaniels, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002.

The Whale, illustrated by Preston McDaniels, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2003.

The Eagle, illustrated by Preston McDaniels, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2004.

The Turtle, illustrated by Preston McDaniels, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2005.

The Octopus, illustrated by Preston McDaniels, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2005.

YOUNG-ADULT FICTION

A Blue-eyed Daisy (novel), Bradbury (New York, NY), 1985, published as Some Year for Ellie, illustrated by Kate Rogers, Viking Kestrel (London, England), 1986.

Every Living Thing (short stories), illustrated by S.D. Schindler, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1985.

A Fine White Dust (novel), Bradbury (New York, NY), 1986, reprinted, Aladdin (New York, NY), 2007.

Children of Christmas: Stories for the Season, illustrated by S.D. Schindler, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1987, published as Silver Packages and Other Stories, [London, England], 1987, selection published as Silver Packages: An Appalachian Christmas Story, illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet, Orchard Books, 1997.

A Kindness (novel), Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1988.

A Couple of Kooks, and Other Stories about Love, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1990.

Missing May (novel), Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1992.

I Had Seen Castles (novel), Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1993.

The Islander (novel), DK Ink (New York, NY), 1998.

Ludie's Life, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2006.

FOR YOUNG ADULTS; POETRY

Waiting to Waltz … a Childhood, illustrated by Stephen Gammell, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1984.

Soda Jerk, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1990.

Something Permanent, photographs by Walker Evans, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1994.

God Went to Beauty School, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.

Boris, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2005.

FOR YOUNG ADULTS; NONFICTION

But I'll Be Back Again: An Album (autobiography), Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1989.

Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds, illustrated by Barry Moser, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1991.

Margaret, Frank, and Andy: Three Writers' Stories (biography) Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1996, published in three volumes as A Story of Margaret Wise Brown, A Story of L. Frank Baum, and A Story of E.B. White.

Bless Us All: A Child's Yearbook of Blessings, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

Give Me Grace: A Child's Daybook of Prayers, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Adaptations

When I Was Young in the Mountains, 1983, This Year's Garden, 1983, and The Relatives Came, 1986, were adapted as filmstrips by Random House. Several books were adapted as audiobooks by SRA McGraw-Hill, including When I Was Young in the Mountains and The Relatives Came, both 1985; This Year's Garden, 1987; and Henry and Mudge in the Green Time, 1988. Children of Christmas and Every Living Thing were released as book-and-audio versions in 1993, and as audiobooks by Chivers North America, 1997. Missing May was released as an audiobook by BDD Audio, 1996, and Recorded Books, 1997. A Fine White Dust was released on audio cassette by Recorded Books, 1997. Many of Rylant's "Henry and Mudge" books have been adapted as audiobooks by Recorded Books and Live Oak Media, 1997-98. The stage play Henry and Mudge, produce in New York, NY, 2007, is based on Rylant's books.

Sidelights

A prolific author and illustrator, Cynthia Rylant often bases her works on her own background, especially on her childhood in the Appalachian region of West Virginia. Among her award-winning books for children and young adults are contemporary novels and historical fiction for young adults, middle-grade novels, lyrical prose poems, beginning readers, short stories, poetry, books of prayers, autobiographies, and nonfiction. Many of Rylant's books for beginning readers are published in series, such as her beloved "Henry and Mudge" books about a small boy and his very large dog. Other easy-to-read volumes by Rylant include rhyming picture-books such as If You'll Be My Valentine, Long Night Moon, Baby Face: A Book of Love for Baby, and Alligator Boy. In Kirkus Reviews a critic praised Alligator Boy for its "witty language … as well as the warmly nostalgic atmosphere" created by Rylant, while School Library Journal contributor Kathleen Whalin wrote of Long Night Moon that "books this good come along once in a blue moon."

While her elementary-school-aged fans are legion, Rylant is perhaps best known as a novelist. Characteristically, she portrays introspective, compassionate young people who live in rural settings or in small towns and who tend to be set apart from their peers. Her young male and female protagonists meet challenges with the help of their families and friends as well as from within their strong, supportive communities. Praised for her sensitive depiction of young people and their emotions, Rylant is also acknowledged for her rounded characterizations of adults, especially the elderly, and for exploring topics such as religion and death that are not often addressed in children's literature. She often focuses on relationships between the old and the young and between people and animals. In addition, she underscores her works with such themes as the act of creation, both by God and by human artists; the transforming power of love; the importance of all living things; and the need to let go.

Writing in Children's Books and Their Creators, Eden K. Edwards noted that Rylant "demonstrates an inimitable ability to evoke the strongest of emotions from the simplest of words…. In her work, Rylant gives depth and dignity to a litany of quiet characters and sagaciously reflects on some of life's most confusing mysteries." Miriam Lang Budin noted in School Library Journal that readers "have come to expect resonant, deeply felt work from Rylant," while Hollis Lowery-Moore, a contributor to the St. James Guide to Young-

Adult Writers concluded: "All of Rylant's stories, including her picture story books marketed for younger readers, create memorable characters and places and provide teens with a window on the world."

In addition to writing, Rylant also contributes illustrations to her own books on occasion. She began illustrating some of her picture-book texts in the early 1990s and the folk-art style she has developed complements her stories. She has also worked with several outstanding illustrators, including Peter Catalanotto, Barry Moser, G. Brian Karas, James and Suçie Stevenson, and Walker Evans. Two of her books, When I was Young in the Mountains and The Relatives Came, were honored by the Caldecott Medal committee for their illustrations by Diane Goode and Stephen Gammell, respectively.

Many of Rylant's works are rooted in the memories and images of her childhood. Born in Hopewell, West Virginia, she spent her first four years in Illinois, where she lived with her father, John Tune Smith, a sergeant in the U.S. Army who had fought in the Korean War, and her mother, Leatrel Rylant Smith. When she was four, Rylant's parents separated, and she went to live with her mother's parents in the Appalachian mining town of Coal Ridge, West Virginia. Rylant never saw her father again; he died in a veteran's hospital in Florida when she was thirteen years old. As the author later recalled in her autobiography But I'll Be Back Again: An Album, "I did not have a chance to know him or to say goodbye to him, and that is all the loss I needed to become a writer."

Rylant's mother soon left the family to attend nursing school, and she was gone for nearly four years. Although Leatrel Smith wrote regularly and visited a few times a year, "it was," Rylant recalled in her autobiography, "not enough for a little girl." Happily, though, Rylant's grandparents and extended family provided a positive, nurturing environment, and it was in her grandmother's "love and safety, and the kind presence of my grandfather, that I managed to survive the loss of my dear parents." Quiet, gentle people, Rylant's grandparents raised six children without much income. After her grandfather, a coal miner, became disabled during a slate fall in a mine, the family lived by the couple's wits and on food supplied by the U.S. government. Living in a four-room house without running water or indoor plumbing, Rylant learned about the joys of country life and the kindness of local townspeople. She summarized her years in Coal Ridge in But I'll Be Back Again: "My years with my grandparents were good ones, and while I waited for both my father and my mother to come back, I had big stacks of pancakes and hot cocoa, hot dogs and chickens, teaberry leaves and honeysuckle, and aunts and cousins to sleep with at night and hug until someone could return for me." When Rylant was eight years old, her mother returned for her and the two moved to Beaver, a town near Coal Ridge. There they settled in a three-room apartment with running water, an indoor bathroom, and a television set.

During her early years, Rylant was not much of a reader. In fact, as she wrote in Something about the Author Autobiography Series (SAAS), "I did not see many books." There were no libraries or bookstores in Beaver, so adults got paperbacks from the drug stores and children read comic books. "I guess most people assume that future famous authors are supposed to be reading fat hard-bound books and writing poetry by age ten," she mused. "But all I wanted to do was read Archie and play the Beatles."

Enrolling at Morris Harvey College (now the University of Charleston), Rylant initially planned to go into nursing like her mother, but she switched her major after taking her first college English class. As she recalled in SAAS, "I heard and read stories I had never heard or read before, and I was in love with words." While she did well academically, for her "the real achievement … was more personal. I began to think for myself, to throw off some of the RULES OF LIFE that had been drummed into me in my small town, and my mind began to grow and blossom." She became editor of the campus newspaper and was active in a variety of other campus activities. "I liked college so much that when I finished I didn't want to stop being a student," Rylant later admitted in SAAS.

Rylant's first year of graduate school at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, was "without a doubt the happiest year of my life…. I loved literature so much and every day all I had to do was attend class and listen to it and talk about it and write about it. Like a chocolate lover at a Hershey's factory, I was completely content." After receiving her master's degree in 1976, she married a young man who taught classical guitar and was learning to be a carpenter. She also got a job at the public library in Huntington, working in the children's room. Reading the books she was supposed to be shelving, she discovered a brand new world. She bought a copy of The Writer's Market, a book containing publisher information, and started writing.

Shortly after she started writing, Rylant and her husband had a son, whom they named after Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of Rylant's favorite authors. Even while keeping up with the many tasks of motherhood, Rylant managed to keep writing; six months after the birth of Nathaniel she wrote the words "when I was young in the mountains." Within an hour, Rylant had finished her first book. Without revising it, she sent the manuscript to E.P. Dutton publishers, and When I Was Young in the Mountains was published in 1982.

A picture book describing Rylant's childhood spent with her grandparents in Appalachia, When I Was Young in the Mountains is a collection of vignettes about the busy, joyous life of a small community. The book was favorably received by critics such as a Publishers Weekly reviewer who stated that the author's debut "proves she knows precisely how to tell a story that brings the reader into the special world of her recollecting…. These are memories of a way of living that will entrance readers and broaden their outlook." Writing in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Zena Sutherland noted that When I Was Young in the Mountains "is given appeal by the warmth and contentment that emerge from an account of daily satisfaction and small, occasional joys, described with appropriate simplicity."

After the success of her first book, Rylant began to mine what she later referred to in SAAS as the "gold mine of stories stored up in my head. Memories I could use to make books. I wrote and wrote, sold book after book, most of them true or partly true. All of them realistic. And most coming as quick and pure as that first book came." Published in 1984, Rylant's Waiting to Waltz: A Childhood includes thirty autobiographical free-verse poems that outline the author's memories of growing up in Beaver, West Virginia. In this work, Rylant shares the happy and sad times while also offering incisive portraits of local townspeople. A reviewer in Publishers Weekly wrote of Waiting to Waltz that everyone in Beaver "becomes as real to the reader as they are to Rylant," while Ethel R. Twichell predicted in Horn Book that the poems "will gently pluck a long-forgotten memory or awaken a shared experience."

Rylant's marriage to her first husband ended after a few years, and she then was married briefly to a college professor. Meanwhile, she worked as a part-time English teacher at Marshall University for a year, then relocated to Kent, Ohio. Rylant received her library science degree from Kent State University in 1982 and got a job at the Akron Public Library as a children's librarian and at the University of Akron as a part-time English teacher. In 1985 she published her first novel, A Blue-eyed Daisy.

A Blue-eyed Daisy describes a year in the life of Ellie Farley, an eleven year old living in the hills of West Virginia. Ellie recounts several memorable moments that occur over the course of her eleventh year, such as getting kissed at her first co-ed party and attending the funeral of a classmate. Throughout the narrative, Ellie deepens her relationship with her father, Okey, a former miner who lost his job in an accident. A reviewer in Publishers Weekly wrote of A Blue-eyed Daisy: "No reader will be able to resist Ellie or her kith and kin. Their ability to live life and endure ills is the core of an exquisite novel, written with love." Katherine Bruner, writing in School Library Journal, added that Rylant's "low-key, evocative style … is the shining quality which sets this book apart."

In her autobiographical But I'll Be Back Again, Rylant also reflects on the region where she was raised, and her picture book Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds poetically evokes the spirit of Appalachia in a tribute to that region and its people. Appalachia describes the living conditions, hard work, customs, activities, and personalities of the Appalachian people. The book's lyrical prose is paired with realistic paintings by artist Barry Moser who, like Rylant, has roots in Appalachia. Praising the book as an excellent marriage of text and picture, Barbara Chatton noted in School Library Journal that Appalachia should "encourage original writing or art as it reveals how illustrations and words can interact, how prose can illuminate a painting, and how simple paintings can bring power to prose." A critic in Kirkus Reviews, citing Rylant's "carefully pitched, melodious voice," called Appalachia "a special book for creative sharing." In Publishers Weekly a critic wrote that Rylant's "text offers pure nostalgia—a skillfully structured essay that appears, deceptively, to meander like a dusty country lane and underscores the warmth, generosity of spirit and steadfastness" of the Appalachian people.

In 1986 Rylant published one of her most well-received books, the young-adult novel A Fine White Dust. In this work, Pete, a seventh grader who lives in the rural South, becomes a born-again Christian after being converted by charismatic preacher James W. Carson. When Carson offers Pete the chance to go with him as his disciple, the boy decides, after much soul-searching, to leave his parents and his best friend, Rufus. Carson, who is viewed by Pete as God in the flesh, eventually runs off with Darlene, a young woman who works at the town soda fountain. Although Pete feels betrayed, he comes through his experience with an unshaken faith in God and a more realistic view of human nature. A critic in Kirkus Reviews stated that "Rylant has explored a theme vital to many young people but rare in children's books." Writing in School Library Journal, Julie Cummins noted: "Few books have explored young people's fascination with God and their soul…. Like Peter, this story has soul." Calling the novel "an achingly resonant portrayal of a naive youth," Denise M. Wilms added in her Booklist review that A Fine White Dust is "poignant and perceptive, with almost all of the characters subtly drawn." A Fine White Dust was designated as a Newbery Medal honor book in 1987.

With Missing May, a novel for teens that was published in 1992, Rylant creates what is perhaps her most highly acclaimed book. The story outlines how twelve-year-old Summer, who came to stay with her Aunt May and Uncle Ob in West Virginia after the death of her mother six years before, attempts to save her uncle from despair after the death of his beloved wife. In the midst of his mourning, Ob senses May's presence. Looking for an interpreter, Ob and Summer settle on Cletus, an unusual boy from Summer's class who once had a near-death experience and is, according to Voice of Youth Advocates reviewer Caroline S. McKinney, "as full of the energy for living as Ob is with the numbness of grieving." Through the boy's suggestion, the trio goes to Charleston to find a medium at the Spiritualist Church, and the trip begins a personal quest for each of them. McKinney concluded that "Missing May will be passed around by many of us who love beautiful words. It will speak in that warm, flowing West Virginia tongue to young people and old." Betsy Hearne wrote in a Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books review that "strong nuances of despair and hope create a suspense that forcefully replaces action and that will touch readers to tears," while Booklist contributor Ilene Cooper noted that "Rylant makes us aware of the possibilities of life, even in the midst of tragedy. There is a freshness here that feels like a cool breeze." Missing May earned Rylant a Newbery medal in 1993.

Another novel that draws from Appalachia and Rylant's family history, Ludie's Life, evokes the life of a young girl facing struggles as she attempts to survive the challenges of rural West Virginia in a life spanning most of the twentieth century. Married to a coal miner in 1925 at age fifteen, Ludie raises six children and watches as their lives stretch beyond her beloved Appalachia. With an introspective nature, Ludie grows in her understanding of life while never regretting the limitations that have tied her to her rural home. In Booklist Cooper described Ludie's Life as "infused with poetry, pathos, and an everyday heroism," and Pat Leach, while asserting that Rylant's novel is more appropriate for an adult readership, wrote that the work is enriched by "luminous moments told in lovely language."

Henry and Mudge: The First Book of Their Adventures made its appearance in 1987. Based on her own son and a dog Rylant once knew, the book introduces Henry, an only child. When Henry receives a pet, Mudge, a three-foot-tall dog that appears to be a cross between a Saint Bernard and a Great Dane, the two form a deep attachment. Tension comes when Mudge is lost, but happiness is restored when he is found again. Rylant presents lots of humorous details, such as Mudge's drooling and love of dirty socks, in prose that is designed for beginning readers. Reviewing Henry and Mudge and the second volume of the series, Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble, a critic for Kirkus Reviews called the author's language "easy to read but vividly evocative" and concluded: "Warm, loving, and gently philosophical, these stories about an only child and his closest companion deserve a place in every library collection."

Rylant has written dozens of other volumes in the "Henry and Mudge" series, easy-reading books that feature illustrations by noted cartoonist James Stevenson as well as by his artist daughter, Suçie Stevenson. In Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat: The Eighth Book of Their Adventures, Rylant describes the arrival of a scraggly lost kitty to Henry's home. Mudge and the cat form an immediate bond, and the dog is heartbroken when the cat's owner finally claims the kitty; however, Mudge is pleased with the owner's gift of thirty huge bones. Writing in School Library Journal, Trev Jones concluded that Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat "sparkles with good humor and affection," while Hearne stated in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books that while "it's hard to keep a series fresh, especially at the easy-to-read level, … this may be the best Henry and Mudge book since the first two."

In Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps: The Ninth Book of Their Adventures the pair take a trip to Grandmother's house in the country. When Mudge is deemed too large for the small home and is made to sleep outside, Henry is afraid both for Mudge and for himself. However, the large hound finds a spot under a large table on the porch, and both he and Henry curl up happily and fall sleep. Henry and Mudge and the Wild Goose Chase: The Twenty-third Book of Their Adventures find the pair find adventure on an egg-buying trip to a local farm, while in Henry and Mudge and the Funny Lunch: The Twenty-fourth Book of Their Adventures Henry and his dad cook up something incredible for Mother's Day. Writing in Horn Book, Elizabeth S. Watson noted that in Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps Rylant "has developed a fresh, warm, imaginative, and yet absolutely realistic tale for the beginning reader." Hazel Rochman praised the more recent Henry and Mudge and the Funny Lunch, noting that the 2004 book is "bound to get kids laughing, reading, and maybe cooking, too."

Since the early 1990s, with the success of the "Henry and Mudge" books, Rylant has increasingly concentrated on developing series titles for younger readers, such as the "Lighthouse Family," High-rise Private Eyes," and self-illustrated "Everyday Books" series. "Short sentences, peppy dialogue, and well developed characters" are the hallmarks of the "High-rise Private Eyes" series, according to Horn Book reviewer Kitty Flynn. In books such as The Case of the Baffled Bear and The Case of the Troublesome Turtle, a pair of animal detectives solves a series of simple quandaries that find their friends in a pickle. Board books for very young children, the "Everyday Books" introduce toddlers to literature by centering on subjects familiar to them, such as their homes and pets. The first of Rylant's works to include her own illustrations, the "Everyday Books" feature child-friendly collages.

Rylant's other self-illustrated titles include The Whales, The Cookie-Store Cat, and Dog Heaven. A playful book, Dog Heaven depicts the author/illustrator's idea of what dogs experience in the afterlife, such as fields to run in, plenty of angel children to pet them, and appetizing cat-shaped biscuits to eat. The book is illustrated in bright acrylics that blend naïve forms with unusual colors. According to a critic in Kirkus Reviews, the author's illus- trations are "infused with simple doggy joy," while in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Roger Sutton concluded that Rylant maintains "a plain, conversational tone that resists gooeyness" while her "paintings allow viewers to imagine their own pets at play in the fields of the Lord." Another self-illustrated work, Cat Heaven, describes a kitty afterlife that is full of trees and clouds to perch on, soft angel laps to sit on, lots of toys to play with, and full dishes of food to eat. A critic in Kirkus Reviews called the book "every bit as rich in eye-dimming sentiment as Dog Heaven" and a work sure to "kindle sighs even from the feline-indifferent."

A love of cats figures prominently in several of Rylant's works, including her multi-book series "Mr. Putter and Tabby," and the poetry collection Boris. The "Mr. Putter and Tabby" series features the domestic duo engaged in riveting adventures that are set forth in titles such as Mr. Putter and Tabby Stir the Soup, Mr. Putter and Tabby Catch the Cold, and Mr. Putter and Tabby Spin the Yarn. Each of these easy-to read volumes features the man and his pet attending to simple activities only to be thwarted by unruly appliances or other silly obstructions. In Mr. Putter and Tabby Stir the Soup plans for a favorite dinner are put on the back burner when the stove refuses to light, forcing the cooks to bring their recipe to neighbor Mrs. Teaberry's kitchen. Mrs. Teaberry again becomes their rescuer in Mr. Putter and Tabby Catch the Cold, when man and cat are laid low by the sniffles, while in Mr. Putter and Tabby Make a Wish, Mr. Putter realizes that one is never too old to celebrate a birthday. Helping Mrs. Teaberry complete a senior marathon race puts Rylant's characters on an unusual exercise regimen in Mr. Putter and Tabby Run the Race, which features what Carolyn Phelan described in Booklist as an "amusing but affectionate portrayal of Mr. Putter's foibles." A School Library Journal writer dubbed Mr. Putter and Tabby Stir the Soup a "satisfyingly silly romp."

Boris joins works such as Rylant's award-winning God Went to Beauty School as an acclaimed collection of poetry that presents the author's more reflective side. Containing nineteen poems, Boris comprises what Horn Book reviewer Jennifer M. Brabander praised as an "accessible, compelling story" describing a beloved gray cat and its many adventures after arriving at Rylant's door. While Brabander predicted that Boris will satisfy pet-loving readers who "will easily relate to the poems and their theme of companionship," Cooper noted in Booklist that the volume also speaks to deeper issues through its "subtext" about "the inevitability of change."

In an interview with Anita Silvey for Horn Book, Rylant once commented that writing "has given me a sense of self-worth that I didn't have my whole childhood. I am really proud of that. The [books] have carried me through some troubled times and have made me feel that I am worthy of having a place on this earth." In SAAS, the author concluded: "I will write, because I have to earn my way and because it seems to be what God put me here to do. I hope one day to write a great book, a magnificent book, which people will buy for those they love best, which they will place in someone else's hands and say: ‘Before you do anything else, you must read this.’"

Biographical and Critical Sources

BOOKS

Authors & Artists for Young Adults, Volume 10, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1993, pp. 163-168.

Children's Books and Their Creators, edited by Anita Silvey, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1995, p. 567.

Children's Literature Review, Volume 15, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1988, pp. 167-174.

Rylant, Cynthia, Best Wishes, Richard C. Owen, 1992, pp. 5-7.

Rylant, Cynthia, But I'll Be Back Again: An Album, Beech Tree Books/Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1993.

St. James Guide to Children's Writers, 5th edition, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1999.

St. James Guide to Young-Adult Writers, edited by Tom and Sara Pendergast, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1999, pp. 731-733.

Something about the Author Autobiography Series, Volume 13, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1991, pp. 155-163.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 1, 1986, Denise M. Wilms, review of A Fine White Dust, p. 67; May 15, 1989, Denise M. Wilms, review of But I'll Be Back Again: An Album, p. 1655; February 15, 1992, Ilene Cooper, "The Other Side of Good-bye," p. 1105; May 15, 2001, Gillian Engberg, review of The Case of the Troublesome Turtle, p. 1753; June 1, 2001, Ilene Cooper, review of Summer Party, p. 1884; September 15, 2001, Ilene Cooper, review of Good Morning, Sweetie Pie, and Other Poems for Children, p. 229; February, 15, 2002, Lauren Peterson, review of Wedding Flowers, p. 1015; March 1, 2002, Gillian Engberg, review of Little Whistle's Medicine, p. 1144; April 15, 2002, Ilene Cooper, review of Let's Go Home: The Wonderful Things about a House, p. 68; May 1, 2002, Kay Weisman, review of Old Town in the Green Groves, p. 1527; September 1, 2002, Ilene Cooper, review of The Ticky-Tacky Doll, p. 137; September 15, 2002, Diane Foote, review of Christmas in the Country, p. 247; November 1, 2002, Ilene Cooper, review of Mr. Putter and Tabby Catch the Cold, p. 509; January 1, 2003, Hazel Rochman, review of Henry and Mudge and the Tall Tree House: The Twenty-first Book of Their Adventures, p. 910; January 1, 2003, Connie Fletcher, review of The Case of the Sleepy Sloth, p. 893; March 15, 2003, Gillian Engberg, review of Henry and Mudge and Mrs. Hopper's House: The Twenty-second Book of Their Adventures, p. 1333; September 1, 2003, Kay Weisman, review of The Whale, p. 121; October 1, 2003, Carolyn Phelan, review of Henry and Mudge and the Wild Goose Chase: The Twenty-third Book of Their Adventures, p. 329; March 15, 2004, Hazel Rochman, review of Henry and Mudge and the Funny Lunch: The Twenty-fourth Book of Their Adventures, p. 1310; July, 2004, Carolyn Phelan, review of The Case of the Baffled Bear, p. 1852; November 15, 2004, Ilene Cooper, review of Long Night Moon, p. 591; February 15, 2005, Ilene Cooper, review of Boris, p. 1074; May 15, 2005, Hazel Rochman, review of Puppy Mudge Wants to Play, p. 1667; October 15, 2006, Ilene Cooper, review of Ludie's Life, p. 41; May 15, 2007, Randall Enos, review of Alligator Boy, p. 48; April 1, 2008, Carolyn Phelan, review of Mr. Putter and Tabby Run the Race, p. 58; April 1, 2008, Julie Cummins, review of Puppies and Piggies, p. 57; October 15, 2008, Ilene Cooper, review of Snow, p. 41.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, April, 1982, Zena Sutherland, review of When I Was Young in the Mountains, p. 157; July-August, 1989, Betsy Hearne, review of But I'll Be Back Again, p. 283; October, 1990, Betsy Hearne, review of Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat: The Eighth Book of Their Adventures, pp. 43-44; March, 1992, Betsy Hearne, review of Missing May, p. 192; October, 1995, Roger Sutton, review of Dog Heaven, pp. 66-67; November, 1997, Pat Mathews, review of Cat Heaven, p. 100; December, 2001, review of Poppleton in Winter, p. 152; July, 2003, review of God Went to Beauty School, p. 461.

Children's Book Review Service, November, 1984, Leigh Dean, review of Waiting to Waltz …: A Childhood, p. 32.

Horn Book, January-February, 1985, Ethel R. Twichell, review of Waiting to Waltz, p. 64; November-December, 1987, Anita Silvey, interview with Rylant, pp. 695-703; May-June, 1991, Elizabeth S. Watson, review of Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps, pp. 328-329; March-April, 1992, p. 206; May, 2001, review of The Case of the Troublesome Turtle, p. 337; November-December, 2002, Mary M. Burns, review of Christmas in the Country, p. 738; September- October, 2004, Kitty Flynn, review of The Case of the Baffled Bear, p. 599; January-February, 2005, review of God Went to Beauty School, p. 30; May-June, 2005, Jennifer M. Brabander, review of Boris, p. 341; November-December, 2005, Jeannine M. Chapman, review of The Stars Will Still Shine, p. 696; January-February, 2008, Christine M. Heppermann, review of Walt Disney's Cinderella, p. 100; November-December, 2008, Joanna Rudge Long, review of Hansel and Gretel, p. 720.

Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 1986, review of A Fine White Dust, pp. 1023-1024; February 15, 1987, review of Henry and Mudge and Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble, p. 300; February 1, 1991, review of Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps, p. 184; March 1, 1991, review of Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds, p. 322; July 1, 1995, review of Dog Heaven, p. 951; July 1, 1997, review of Cat Heaven, p. 1035; September 1, 2001, p. 1300; January 15, 2002, review of Little Whistle's Medicine, p. 108; April 15, 2002, review of Let's Go Home, p. 577; June 15, 2002, review of The Case of the Sleepy Sloth, p. 888; August 1, 2002, review of The Ticky-Tacky Doll, p. 141; October 15, 2002, review of Mr. Putter and Tabby Catch the Cold, p. 1538; November 1, 2002, review of Christmas in the Country, p. 135; March 1, 2003, review of The Case of the Fidgety Fox, p. 397; June 15, 2003, review of God Went to Beauty School, p. 864; December 15, 2004, review of If You'll Be My Valentine, p. 1207; March 1, 2005, review of The Turtle, p. 294; March 15, 2005, review of Boris, p. 357; February 1, 2006, review of The Journey: Stories of Migration, p. 36; November 1, 2006, review of Ludie's Life, p. 1124; May 15, 2007, review of Alligator Boy; January 1, 2008, review of Puppies and Piggies; September 15, 2008, review of Snow.

Kliatt, May, 2002, Paula Rohrlick, "The Heavenly Village," p. 29.

New York Times Book Review, June 3, 1990, Valerie Sayers, review of Soda Jerk, p. 24; May 30, 1993, review of Henry and Mudge and the Wild Wind, p. 19; December 7, 2008, review of Snow, p. 52.

Publishers Weekly, March 19, 1982, review of When I Was Young in the Mountains, pp. 70-71; August 17, 1984, review of Waiting to Waltz: A Childhood, p. 60; March 8, 1985, review of A Blue-eyed Daisy, p. 91; March 1, 1991, review of Appalachia, p. 74; April 2, 2001, review of Little Whistle, p. 63; September, 3, 2001, review of Good Morning, Sweetie Pie, p. 86; April 22, 2002, review of Let's Go Home, p. 68; August 5, 2002, review of The Ticky-Tacky Doll, p. 71; August 26, 2002, review of The Storm, p. 69; June 89, 2003, review of God Went to Beauty School, p. 53; October 6, 2003, review of The Whale, p. 86; January 17, 2005, review of Long Night Moon, p. 54; February 20, 2006, review of The Journey, p. 156; February 18, 2006, review of Baby Face: A Book of Love for Baby, p. 152; October 6, 2008, review of Snow, p. 53.

Quill & Quire, December, 1990, Susan Perren, review of Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat, p. 19.

School Library Journal, November, 1984, Margaret C. Howell, review of Waiting to Waltz, p. 138; April, 1985, Katherine Bruner, review of A Blue-eyed Daisy, p. 92; September, 1986, Julie Cummins, review of A Fine White Dust, p. 138; July, 1989, Amy Kellman, review of But I'll Be Back Again, p. 97; August, 1990, Trev Jones, review of Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat, p. 134; April, 1991, Nancy Seiner, review of Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps, p. 101; April, 1991, Barbara Chatton, review of Appalachia, p. 137; October, 1995, Joy Fleishhacker, review of Dog Heaven, p. 115; January, 1999, Miriam Lang Budin, review of Bear Day, pp. 101-102; October, 2001, Patricia Manning, review of Poppleton in Winter, p. 130; December, 2001, p. 128; April, 2002, Carol A. Edwards, review of Old Town in the Green Groves, p. 156; June, 2002, Blair Christolon, review of Let's Go Home, p. 124; August, 2002, pat Leach, review of Wedding Flowers, p. 166; October, 2002, Susan Patron, review of Christmas in the Country, p. 63, and Lynda S. Poling, review of Mr. Putter and Tabby Catch the Cold, p. 130; November, 2002, Sheilah Kosco, review of The Ticky-Tacky Doll, p. 134; December, 2002, Laura Scott, review of The Case of the Sleepy Sloth, p. 108; February, 2003, Lee Bock, review of The Old Woman Who Named Things, p. 97; April, 2003, Marilyn Taniguchi, review of Puppy Mudge Takes a Bath, p. 137; May, 2003, Doris Losey, review of The Case of the Fidgety Fox, p. 129; July, 2003, Maura Smith, review of Henry and Mudge and the Snowman Plan, p. 59; October, 2003, Maureen Wade, review of Little Whistle's Christmas, p. 67, Maren Ostergard, review of The Case of the Troublesome Turtle, p. 87, and Laura Scott, review of Henry and Mudge and the Wild Goose Chase, p. 137; November, 2003, Barbara Buckley, review of The Whale, p. 115; January, 2004, Laura Scott, review of Puppy Mudge Has a Snack, p. 104; September, 2004, Susan Lissim, review of Mr. Putter and Tabby Write the Book, and Bethany L.W. Hankinson, review of The Case of the Baffled Bear, p. 178; November, 2004, Debbie Steward Hoskins, review of The Eagle, p. 117; December, 2004, Rhona Campbell, review of Long Night Moon, p. 120; April, 2005, Cris Riedel, review of Boris, p. 156; April, 2007, Kathleen Pavin, review of Mr. Putter and Tabby Spin the Yarn, p. 126; April, 2007, Pat Leach, review of Ludie's Life, p. 148; June, 2007, Marianne Saccardi, review of Alligator Boy, p. 123; September, 2007, Erika Qualls, review of Mr. Putter and Tabby See the Stars, p. 175; February, 2008, Kelly Roth, review of Mr. Putter and Tabby Run the Race, p. 96; August, 2008, Amelia Jenkins, review of Baby Face, p. 101.

Voice of Youth Advocates, April, 1992, Caroline S. McKinney, review of Missing May, pp. 35-36; April, 2005, Jan Chapman, review of Boris, p. 48; February, 2007, Debbie Clifford, review of Ludie's Life, p. 531.

ONLINE

KidsReads.com,http://www.kidsreads.com/ (December 15, 2008), "Cynthia Rylant."

Rylant, Cynthia 1954-

views updated Jun 08 2018

RYLANT, Cynthia 1954-

PERSONAL: Surname is pronounced "rye-lunt"; born June 6, 1954, in Hopewell, VA; daughter of John Tune (an army sergeant) and Leatrel (a nurse; maiden name, Rylant) Smith; twice married and divorced; children: Nathaniel; companion of Dav Pilkey (an author/illustrator). Education: Morris Harvey College (now University of Charleston), B.A., 1975; Marshall University, M.A., 1976; Kent State University, M.L.S., 1982. Politics: Democrat. Religion: "Christian, no denomination."

ADDRESSES: Home—Eugene, OR. Agent—Sarah Maizes, William Morris Agency, 151 El Camino Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212.

CAREER: Writer. Marshall University, Huntington, WV, part-time English instructor, 1979-80; Akron Public Library, Akron, OH, children's librarian, 1983; University of Akron, Akron, part-time English lecturer, 1983-84; Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Rootstown, part-time lecturer, 1991—.

AWARDS, HONORS: When I Was Young in the Mountains was named a Booklist reviewer's choice, 1982, Caldecott Honor Book, American Library Association (ALA) notable book, and Reading Rainbow selection, all 1983; American Book Award nomination, 1983, and English-Speaking Union Book-across-the-Sea Ambassador of Honor Award, 1984, both for When I Was Young in the Mountains; Waiting to Waltz . . . a Childhood was named an ALA notable book, a School Library Journal best book of 1984, a National Council for Social Studies best book, 1984, and a Society of Midland Authors best children's book, 1985; The Relatives Came was named a New York Times best illustrated book, a Horn Book honor book, a Child Study Association of America's children's book of the year, all 1985, and a Caldecott Honor Book, 1986; A Blue-eyed Daisy was named a Child Study Association of America's children's book of the year, 1985; Every Living Thing was named a School Library Journal best book, 1985; New York Times best illustrated book for, The Relatives Came, 1985; A Fine White Dust was named a Parents' Choice selection, 1986, a Horn Book honor book, and a Newbery Honor Book, all 1987; American Library Association best book for young adults citation, 1988, for A Kindness; Ohioana Award, 1990, for But I'll Be Back Again; Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds was named a Boston Globe/Horn Book honor book for nonfiction, 1991, and received the Ohioana Award, 1992; Henry and Mudge Get the Cold Shivers was named a Garden State Children's Book award recipient by the Children's Services Section of the New Jersey Library Association, 1992; Parents' Choice Award, 1992, Boston Globe/Horn Book award winner, Newbery Medal, Reading Magic Award, and Hungry Mind Award, all 1993, all for Missing May; American Library Association best book for young adults citation, for A Couple of Kooks and other Stories about Love; School Library Journal, best book of the year citation, for Children of Christmas. Books in the "Henry and Mudge" series have received child-selected awards, including the Garden State Children's Book Award, Children's Services Section of the New Jersey Library Association, and the Children's Choice Award, Association of Booksellers for Children.

WRITINGS:

CHILDREN'S BOOKS

When I Was Young in the Mountains, illustrated by Diane Goode, Dutton (New York, NY), 1982.

Miss Maggie, illustrated by Thomas DiGrazia, Dutton (New York, NY), 1983.

This Year's Garden, illustrated by Mary Szilagyi, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1984.

The Relatives Came, illustrated by Stephen Gammell, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1985.

Night in the Country, illustrated by Mary Szilagyi, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1986.

Birthday Presents, illustrated by Sucie Stevenson, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1987.

All I See, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1988.

Mr. Griggs' Work, illustrated by Julie Downing, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1989.

An Angel for Solomon Singer, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1992.

Best Wishes, photographs by Carlo Ontal, R. C. Owen Publishers (Katonah, NY), 1992.

The Dreamer, illustrated by Barry Moser, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1993.

Dog Heaven, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1995.

The Van Gogh Caé, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1995.

Gooseberry Park, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1995.

The Whales, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1996.

The Old Woman Who Named Things, illustrated by Kathryn Brown, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1996.

The Bookshop Dog, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1996.

Cat Heaven, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1997.

Silver Packages: An Appalachian Christmas Story, illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1997.

An Everyday Book, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1997.

Scarecrow, illustrated by Lauren Stringer, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1997.

Bear Day, illustrated by Jennifer Selby, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1998.

The Bird House, illustrated by Barry Moser, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1998.

Tulip Sees America, illustrated by Lisa Desimini, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1998.

Bunny Bungalow, illustrated by Nancy Hayashi, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1999.

The Cookie-Store Cat, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1999.

The Heavenly Village, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1999.

Let's Go Home: The Wonderful Things about a House, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2000.

In November, illustrated by Jill Kastner, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 2000.

Thimbleberry Stories, illustrated by Maggie Kneen, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 2000.

The Wonderful Happens, illustrated by Coco Dowley, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2000.

The Ticky-Tacky Doll, illustrated by Harvey Stevenson, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 2000.

The Great Gracie Chase, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 2001.

Old Town in the Green Groves, HarperCollins (New York, NY), in press.

Good Morning, Sweetie Pie and Other Poems for Little Children, illustrated by Jane Dyer, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2001.

"HENRY AND MUDGE" SERIES, ILLUSTRATED BY SUCIE STEVENSON, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

Henry and Mudge: The First Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by James Stevenson, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1987.

Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble: The Second Book of Their Adventures, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1987.

Henry and Mudge in the Green Time: The Third Book of Their Adventures, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1987.

Henry and Mudge under the Yellow Moon: The Fourth Book of Their Adventures, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1987.

Henry and Mudge in the Sparkle Days: The Fifth Book of Their Adventures, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1988.

Henry and Mudge and the Forever Sea: The Sixth Book of Their Adventures, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1989.

Henry and Mudge Get the Cold Shivers: The Seventh Book of Their Adventures, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1989.

Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat: The Eighth Book of Their Adventures, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1990.

Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps: The Ninth Book of Their Adventures, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1991.

Henry and Mudge Take the Big Test: The Tenth Book of Their Adventures, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1991.

Henry and Mudge and the Long Weekend: The Eleventh Book of Their Adventures, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1992.

Henry and Mudge and the Wild Wind: The Twelfth Book of Their Adventures, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1993.

Henry and Mudge and the Careful Cousin: The Thirteenth Book of Their Adventures, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1994.

Henry and Mudge and the Best Day of All: The Fourteenth Book of Their Adventures, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1995.

Henry and Mudge in the Family Trees: The Fifteenth Book of Their Adventures, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1997.

Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Crackers: The Sixteenth Book of Their Adventures, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night: The Seventeenth Book of Their Adventures, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

Henry and Mudge and Annie's Good Move: The Eighteenth Book of Their Adventures, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

Henry and Mudge and the Snowman Plan: The Nineteenth Book of Their Adventures, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Henry and Mudge and the Funny Lunch: The Twentieth Book of Their Adventures, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Henry and Mudge and the Tall Tree House: The Twenty-first Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Carolyn Bracken, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Henry and Mudge and Mrs. Hopper's House: The Twenty-second Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Carolyn Bracken, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas: The Twenty-third Book of Their Adventures, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Henry and Mudge and a Very Special Merry Christmas: The Twenty-fourth Book of Their Adventures, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Henry and Mudge and the Snowman Plan: The Twenty-fifth Book of Their Adventures, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Henry and Mudge and the Wild Goose Chase: The Twenty-sixth Book of Their Adventures, illustrated by Carolyn Bracken, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Henry and Mudge and the Big Sleepover: The Twenty-seventh Book of Their Adventures, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Henry and Mudge and the Tumbling Trip: The Twenty-eighth Book of Their Adventures, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Henry and Mudge and Annie's Perfect Pet: The Twenty-ninth Book of Their Adventures, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2000.

Puppy Mudge Takes a Bath, illustrated by Isidre Mones, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002.

Puppy Mudge Has a Snack, illustrated by Isidre Mones Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2003.

"MR. PUTTER AND TABBY" SERIES

Mr. Putter and Tabby Walk the Dog, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1994.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Bake the Cake, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1994.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Pour the Tea, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1994.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick the Pears, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1995.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Row the Boat, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1997.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Fly the Plane, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1997.

Mr. Putter & Tabby Take the Train, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1998.

Mr. Putter & Tabby Toot the Horn, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1998.

Mr. Putter & Tabby Paint the Porch, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 2000.

Mr. Putter & Tabby Feed the Fish, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 2001.

Mr. Putter & Tabby Catch the Cold, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 2002.

Mr. Putter & Tabby Stir the Soup, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 2003.

Mr. Putter & Tabby Write the Book, illustrated by Arthur Howard, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 2004.

"EVERYDAY BOOKS" SERIES

The Everyday Garden, Bradbury (New York), 1993.

The Everyday Town, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1993.

The Everyday Children, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1993.

The Everyday Pets, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1993.

The Everyday House, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1993.

"HIGH-RISE PRIVATE EYES" SERIES

The Case of the Missing Monkey, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow Books (New York, NY), 2000.

The Case of the Climbing Cat, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow Books (New York, NY), 2000.

The Case of the Puzzling Possum, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow Books (New York, NY), 2001.

The Case of the Troublesome Turtle, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow Books (New York, NY), 2001.

The Case of the Sleepy Sloth, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow Books (New York, NY), 2002.

The Case of the Fidgety Fox, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Greenwillow Books (New York, NY), 2003.

The Case of the Baffled Bear, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Greenwill Books (New York, NY), 2004.

"POPPLETON" SERIES

Poppleton, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1997.

Poppleton and Friends, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1997.

Poppleton Everyday, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1998.

Poppleton Forever, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1998.

Poppleton in Fall, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1999.

Poppleton in Spring, illustrated by Mark Teague, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.

Poppleton Has Fun, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 2000.

Poppleton in Winter, illustrated by Mark Teague, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 2001.

"COBBLE STREET COUSINS" SERIES

In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

A Little Shopping, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

Some Good News, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Special Gifts, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

Summer Party, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2001.

Wedding Flowers, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002.

"LITTLE WHISTLE" SERIES

Little Whistle's Dinner Party, illustrated by Tim Bowers, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 2001.

Little Whistle, illustrated by Tim Bowers, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 2001.

Little Whistle's Medicine, illustrated by Tim Bowers, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 2002.

Little Whistle's Christmas, illustrated by Tim Bowers, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 2003.

"BLUE HILL MEADOWS" SERIES

The Blue Hill Meadows and the Much-loved Dog, illustrated by Ellen Beier, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1997.

The Blue Hill Meadows, illustrated by Ellen Beier, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1997.

"LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY" SERIES

The Storm, illustrated by Preston McDaniels, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002.

The Whale, illustrated by Preston McDaniels, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2003.

The Eagle, illustrated by Preston McDaniels, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2004.

YOUNG ADULT FICTION

A Blue-eyed Daisy (novel), Bradbury (New York, NY), 1985, published as Some Year for Ellie, illustrated by Kate Rogers, Viking Kestrel (New York, NY), 1986.

Every Living Thing (stories), Bradbury (New York, NY), 1985.

A Fine White Dust (novel), Bradbury (New York, NY), 1986.

Children of Christmas: Stories for the Season, illustrated by S. D. Schindler, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1987, published as Silver Packages and Other Stories, 1987.

A Kindness (novel), Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1989.

A Couple of Kooks, And Other Stories about Love, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1990.

Missing May, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1992.

I Had Seen Castles, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1993.

The Islander (novel), DK Ink (New York, NY), 1998.

YOUNG ADULT POETRY

Waiting to Waltz . . . a Childhood (poetry), illustrated by Stephen Gammell, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1984.

Soda Jerk (poetry), illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1990.

Something Permanent, photographs by Walker Evans, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1994.

YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION

But I'll Be Back Again: An Album (autobiography), Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1989.

Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds, illustrated by Barry Moser, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1991.

Margaret, Frank, and Andy: Three Writers' Stories, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1996.

Bless Us All: A Child's Yearbook of Blessings, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

Give Me Grace: A Child's Daybook of Prayers, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999.

OTHER

Christmas in the Country, illustrated by Diane Goode, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 2002.

Old Town in the Green Groves: The Lost Little House Years, illustrated by Jim LaMarche, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2002.

God Went to Beauty School, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.

Moonlight: The Halloween Cat, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.

Long Night Moon, illustrated by Mark Siegel, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2004.

If You'll Be My Valentine, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.

ADAPTATIONS: When I Was Young in the Mountains, 1983, This Year's Garden, 1983, and The Relatives Came, 1986, were adapted as filmstrips by Random House. Many of her works are available on audiocassette. Several of her books are available on film through American School Publishers. Rylant is the subject of the video Meet the Author: Cynthia Rylant.

SIDELIGHTS: Cynthia Rylant is an award-winning children's and young adult author whose work includes picture books, poetry, short stories, and novels. With a writing style that has been described as unadorned, clear, and lyrical, the author presents young people's experiences with sensitivity and perceptiveness, branding her protagonists' concerns as legitimate and equally important as those of adults. Rylant's characters tend to be contemplative and set apart from their peers by their situations. Explaining her leaning toward such subjects, the author remarked in Horn Book, "I get a lot of personal gratification thinking of those people who don't get any attention in the world and making them really valuable in my fiction—making them absolutely shine with their beauty." She continued, "I don't ever quite write really happy novels; I don't want to deal with the people who have what they want. I want to deal with people who don't have what they want, to show their lives too."

Critics suggest that Rylant appears sympathetic to her characters' plights because she also faced uncommon hardships as a child. In her autobiography But I'll Be Back Again: An Album, the author stated, "They say that to be a writer you must first have an unhappy childhood. I don't know if unhappiness is necessary, but I think maybe some children who have suffered a loss too great for words grow up into writers who are always trying to find those words, trying to find a meaning for the way they have lived."

Rylant's parents had a stormy marriage and separated when the author was four years old; she admits that she naively blamed herself for their troubles. The author and her mother moved to West Virginia where Rylant was left in her grandparents' care while her mother earned a nursing degree. Her father wrote occasionally when she first moved, but the letters eventually stopped. Because none of her relatives spoke about her father, she was afraid to ask questions about him. After years of silence, however, he contacted Rylant. The author dreamed of their reunion, but before it could take place her father, a Korean War veteran who suffered from hepatitis and alcoholism, succumbed to these diseases. He died when she was thirteen. In ButI'll Be Back Again, the author stated, "I did not have a chance to know him or to say goodbye to him, and that is all the loss I needed to become a writer."

Unhappiness, however, did not dominate the author's childhood. Rylant enjoyed the rustic West Virginia environment while living with her grandparents in a mountain town where many houses had neither electricity nor running water. The lack of amenities did not bother young Rylant; she felt secure surrounded by equally poor yet friendly, church-going neighbors. When the author was eight years old, she and her mother moved to another West Virginia town named Beaver. Judging in retrospect for CA, she called this new location "without a doubt a small, sparkling universe that gave me a lifetime's worth of material for my writing."

As an adolescent in this rural setting, though, Rylant began to recognize and become envious of the fact that other people had more material possessions than she and her mother did. In addition, Beaver—which had at first offered adventure—now appeared backward and dull compared to larger cities. Reflecting in her autobiography, But I'll Be Back Again, Rylant remarked, "As long as I stayed in Beaver, I felt I was somebody important. . . . But as soon as I left town to go anywhere else, my sense of being somebody special evaporated into nothing and I became dull and ugly and poor." She continued, "I wanted to be someone else, and that turned out to be the worst curse and the best gift of my life. I would finish out my childhood forgetting who I really was and what I really thought, and I would listen to other people and repeat their ideas instead of finding my own. That was the curse. The gift was that I would be willing to try to write books when I grew up."

The first book Rylant produced was When I Was Young in the Mountains, a picture book reminiscing about life in West Virginia's Appalachian Mountains which was praised for its simple, yet evocative text and was named a Caldecott honor book. With subsequent picture books, including The Relatives Came, This Year's Garden, and her "Henry and Mudge" series, Rylant has received considerable recognition and awards. The author told CA: "I like writing picture books because that medium gives me a chance to capture in a brief space what I consider life's profound experiences—grandmother crying at a swimming hole baptism, a family planting a garden together, relatives coming for a visit. There is a poignancy and beauty in these events, and I don't want to write adult poetry about them because then I'll have to layer it with some adult disillusionment."

Rylant continued her use of poetry in books for older readers. In Waiting to Waltz . . . a Childhood, the author offers an autobiographical collection of thirty free-verse poems which record her coming-of-age. These events include embarrassment because her mother was too busy to join school committees and reckoning with the deaths of both an absent father and a beloved pet. One passage documents the surprising transformation from child to young adult: "Forgetting when / I was last time / a child. / Never knowing / when it / ended." Waiting to Waltz also weaves in events and symbols of the 1960s to produce what critics deemed a vivid recreation of the era.

Another book of verse, Soda Jerk, combines illustrations by Peter Catalanotto with twenty-eight related poems by Rylant to present the thoughts of a nameless protagonist who works as an attendant at a soda fountain. The title of this work is the slang term for the job. The jerk, as the narrator calls himself, offers commentary on issues ranging from his customers' lives to his fears about the future. Valerie Sayers, writing in the New York Times Book Review, remarked that with her short poems, "Rylant manages to shape enough action to fill several short stories and to create a protagonist who is not only likable but charming and engaging." Soda Jerk, the critic concluded, "is full of respect for a boy's powers of observation, and its images, both written and painted, are striking."

In 1985 Rylant published her first novel, A Blue-eyed Daisy. Set in Appalachia, the episodic work is told by eleven-year-old Ellie Farley during the course of a year. The youngest of five daughters, Ellie contends with her apprehensions and conflicting emotions about growing up. For example, she overcomes her fear of contracting epilepsy after witnessing a classmate's seizure; copes with her unemployed, alcoholic father's imperfections and the possibility of his death after an accident; and battles the nervous anticipation of her first co-ed party. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly proclaimed A Blue-eyed Daisy an "exquisite novel, written with love."

Rylant's novel, A Fine White Dust, was named a Newbery Honor Book. In this work, a deeply religious seventh-grader named Pete believes he has found a human incarnation of God in a roving preacher named Carson. When attending a revival meeting, Pete is mesmerized by Carson's charismatic presence and, after being "saved," agrees to become his disciple. Despite his hesitance to leave his family and friends, Pete reasons that such a sacrifice is needed to fully embrace the holy life. Pete's mission is never fulfilled, however, because the preacher unexpectedly runs off with a young woman. Although he initially feels betrayed, Pete develops a more mature understanding of love and faith. Wilson Library Bulletin contributor Frances Bradburn praised, "The careful crafting of delicate subjects is . . . beautifully illustrated" in A Fine White Dust.

Another of Rylant's works, A Couple of Kooks, and Other Stories about Love, offers various examples of the emotion. In "A Crush," a mentally handicapped man secretly leaves flowers for a female hardware-store worker. An older woman finds love with a man ten years her junior in "Clematis." And in the title story, two teenagers use the nine months of the girl's pregnancy to try to instill their hopes, love, and food preferences in the baby that they will be forced to give up for adoption. Critics commended Rylant for her honest, compassionate portrayal of her subjects' feelings.

Rylant has authored a number of series for children and young adults, including the "Henry and Mudge," "Little Whistle," "Poppleton," "High-Rise Private Eyes," "Mr. Putter and Tabby," "The Lighthouse Family," and "Everyday" books. Each series features sensitive characters, who have special relationships with a friend, a pet, or a family member. This theme of warmth, love, and comfort runs throughout many of Rylant's series and individual books. In Let's Go Home: The Wonderful Things about a House, Rylant takes the reader on a tour throughout a house, vividly describing each room. "In a quiet, warm mood, the narrative delineates the gestures and activities of a multigenerational household," noted Blair Christolon in School Library Journal. In the same publication, Lauralyn Persson commended another of Rylant's books, Good Morning, Sweetie Pie and other Poems for Little Children, for its "fluid, relaxed, and unabashedly sweet" poems. Persson believed that children who read the poems will be "surrounded by love, security, and attention." Also in School Library Journal, reviewer Beth Tegart remarked that The Great Gracie Chase: Stop That Dog! is filled with "charm, humor, and joy," and Barbara Buckley noted that Rylant's Thimbleberry Stories are "sweet and contain messages on the meaning of friendship."

Some of Rylant's books also deal with spirituality. Her novel The Heavenly Village is a series of vignettes told by people who aren't quite ready to enter Heaven. They stop off on their way to finish telling their stories. Each chapter begins with a quotation from the Bible. A Publishers Weekly reviewer noted, "Rylant's precise language and deeply comforting vision are her strong suits." God Went to Beauty School is a book of poems that focus on the question, "What if God was one of us?" Throughout the poems, God does things that normal, everyday people do. He goes to beauty school because He likes hands and wants to learn how to do nails. He gets arrested, climbs a mountain, and goes to the doctor. John Green noted in Booklist that the poems "play on Christian tradition without disrespect, ultimately celebrating God's kindness and love." Jennifer M. Brabander wrote in Horn Book, "In these compelling poems, Rylant puts to exceptionally good use her folksy storytelling skills, her spare and direct writing style, and her ability to sincerely extol life's simple, everyday pleasure and painful losses."

With her works for children and young adults, Rylant has earned a loyal readership as well as positive critical response. Yet, when facing the future of her career, Rylant admits to insecurities. In Horn Book she explained, "I get afraid of what I am going to do for the next fifty years. Surely, I think to myself, I can't keep this up. I am just going to run dry—or worse, get boring and predictable." Nonetheless, the author does feel a sense of accomplishment beyond the recognition and awards her works have received. In Horn Book Rylant confided that writing "has given me a sense of self-worth that I didn't have my whole childhood. I am really proud of that. The [books] . . . have carried me through some troubled times and have made me feel that I am worthy of having a place on this earth."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Authors and Artists for Young Adults, Volume 45, Thomson Gale (Detroit, MI), 2002.

Children's Literature Review, Volume 15, Thomson Gale (Detroit, MI), 1988.

Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature, Continuum (New York, NY), 2001.

Rylant, Cynthia, But I'll Be Back Again: An Album, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1989.

Rylant, Cynthia, Waiting to Waltz . . . a Childhood, Bradbury (New York, NY), 1984.

St. James Guide to Children's Writers, 5th edition, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1999.

St. James Guide to Young Adult Writers, 2nd edition, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1999.

Something about the Author Autobiography Series, Volume 13, Thomson Gale (Detroit, MI), 1991.

Writers for Young Adults, Supplement 1, Scribner (New York, NY), 2000.

PERIODICALS

Bloomsbury Review, July, 1992, p. 22.

Book, September, 1999, review of The Heavenly Village, p. 92.

Booklist, February 15, 1992, p. 1105; January 1, 1997, p. 854; February 1, 1997, p. 950; April 1, 1997, p. 1334; April 15, 1997, p. 1437; August, 1997, pp. 1910-11; September 1, 1997, pp. 126, 135, 140-41; January 1, 1999, Linda Perkins, review of In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen, p. 879, review of A Little Shopping, p. 879; April 15, 1999, review of Bunny Bungalow, p. 1537; May 15, 1999, review of The Cookie-Store Cat, p. 1703; June 1, 1999, review of Special Gifts, p. 1832, review of Some Good News, p. 1832; October 1, 1999, review of Henry and Mudge and the Snowman Plan, p. 366, review of Give Me Grace, p. 375; October 15, 1999, review of Poppleton in Fall, p. 456; November 1, 1999, review of The Van Gogh Café, p. 549; December 1, 1999, review of Henry and Mudge and Annie's Perfect Pet, p. 716, review of The Heavenly Village, p. 706; April 15, 2000, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Mr. Putter and Tabby Paint the Porch, p. 1542; October 1, 2000, Carolyn Phelan, review of The Case of the Climbing Cat, p. 352; November, 15, 2000, Ellen Mandel, review of Poppleton Has Fun, p. 650; December 1, 2003, review of The Case of the Puzzling Possum, p. 708; February 15, 2001, review of Little Whistle, p. 1142, review of The Great Gracie Chase, p. 1142; May 1, 2001, review of Mr. Putter and Tabby Feed the Fish, p. 1684; May 15, 2001, review of The Case of the Troublesome Turtle, p. 1753; May, 2001, review of The Case of the Climbing Cat, p. 826; June 1, 2001, review of Summer Party, p. 1884; September 15, 2001, review of Good Morning, Sweetie Pie and other Poems for Little Children, p. 229; October 1, 2001, review of Little Whistle's Dinner Party, p. 326; February 15, 2002, review of Wedding Flowers, p. 1015; March 1, 2002, review of Little Whistle's Medicine, p. 1144; April 15, 2002, review of Let's Go Home: The Wonderful Things about a House, p. 1399; September 1, 2002, Ilene Cooper, review of The Ticky-Tacky Doll, p. 137; November 1, 2002, Ilene Cooper, review of Mr. Putter and Tabby Catch the Cold, p. 509; November 15, 2002, Karin Snelson, review of The Lighthouse Family: The Storm, p. 612; January 1, 2003, Connie Fletcher, review of The Case of the Sleepy Sloth, p. 893; March 15, 2003, Gillian Engberg, review of Henry and Mudge and Mrs. Hopper's House, p. 1333; July, 2003, Gillian Engberg, review of Henry and Mudge and the Snowman Plan, p. 1900, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Mr. Putter and Tabby Stir the Soup, p. 1903; August, 2003, John Green, review of God Went to Beauty School, p. 1983; September 1, 2003, Kay Weisman, review of The Lighthouse Family: The Whale, p. 121; September 15, 2003, Karin Snelson, review of Moonlight: The Halloween Cat, p. 248; October 1, 2003, Carolyn Phelan, review of Herny and Mudge and the Wild Goose Chase, p. 329.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, January, 1999, review of In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen, p. 181, review of A Little Shopping, p. 181; February, 1999, review of Bless Us All, p. 216; March, 2001, review of The Great Gracie Chase, p. 278; May, 2001, review of Little Whistle, p. 351; December, 2001, review of Poppleton in Winter, p. 152.

Children's Book and Play Review, January, 2001, review of Mr. Putter and Tabby Paint the Porch, p. 26; March, 2001, review of In November, p. 20; May, 2001, review of The Old Woman Who Named Things, p. 25.

Children's Book Review Service, January, 1999, review of Bear Day, p. 52; May, 1999, review of Bunny Bungalow, p. 112; July, 1999, review of The Cookie-Store Cat, p. 149.

Children's Bookwatch, February, 1999, review of The Islander, p. 4; March, 1999, review of A Little Shopping, p. 1, review of In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen, p. 1; June, 1999, review of Poppleton in Spring, p. 4, review of The Cookie-Store Cat, p. 4, review of Bunny Bungalow, p. 3; April, 2001, review of Little Whistle, p. 4; June, 2001, review of TheGreat Gracie Chase, p. 4; September, 2001, review of Little Whistle's Dinner Party, p. 6; January, 2002, review of Poppleton in Winter, p. 5.

Detroit Free Press, July 1, 2001, review of The Great Gracie Chase, p. 5E; March 31, 2002, review of Good Morning, Sweetie Pie and other Poems for Little Children, p. 5E.

Early Childhood Education Journal, summer, 2001, review of The Old Woman Who Named Things, p. 237.

Horn Book, November-December, 1987, pp. 695-703; March, 2001, review of The Case of the Puzzling Possum, p. 212; May, 2001, review of The Case of the Troublesome Turtle, p. 337; July-August, 2003, Jennifer M. Brabander, review of God Went to Beauty School, p. 474.

Instructor, May, 1999, review of Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat, p. 12.

Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, April, 1999, review of The Islander, p. 592.

Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 1992, p. 120; April 1, 1999, review of Bunny Bungalow, p. 537; May 1, 1999, review of The Cookie-Store Cat, p. 726; July 15, 1999, review of Poppleton in Fall, p. 1139; February 1, 2001, review of The Great Gracie Chase, p. 188; February 15, 2001, review of The Case of the Puzzling Possum, p. 264; September 1, 2001, review of Poppleton in Winter, p. 1300, review of Little Whistle's Dinner Party, p. 1300; September 15, 2001, review of Good Morning, Sweetie Pie and other Poems for Little Children, p. 1367; January 15, 2002, review of Little Whistle's Medicine, p. 108; April 15, 2002, review of Let's Go Home, p. 577; March 1, 2003, review of The Case of the Fidgety Fox, p. 397; June 15, 2003, review of God Went to Beauty School, p. 864; July 1, 2003, review of Moonlight: The Halloween Cat, p. 914.

Kliatt, July, 1999, review of Missing May, p. 4; September, 1999, review of The Van Gogh Café, p. 60, review of The Heavenly Village, p. 12.

New York Times Book Review, November 10, 1985, p. 37; June 30, 1990, p. 24; January 17, 1999, review of A Little Shopping, p. 26; August 12, 2001, review of Little Whistle, p. 25.

Publishers Weekly, March 8, 1985, p. 91; February 3, 1992, p. 82; June 16, 1997, pp. 58, 59-60; July 21, 1997, pp. 178-179; March 15, 1999, review of Bunny Bungalow, p. 56; May 24, 1999, review of The Cookie-Store Cat, p. 77; June 7, 1999, review of Special Gifts, p. 85, review of Some Good News, p. 85; October 25, 1999, review of The Heavenly Village, p. 74, review of Give Me Grace, p. 73; November 29, 1999, review of The Islander, p. 73; April 17, 2000, review of Thimbleberry Stories, p. 81; August 7, 2000, review of The Case of the Missing Monkey, p. 95; April 2, 2001, review of Little Whistle, p. 63; April 30, 2001, review of Scarecrow, p. 80; June 18, 2001, review of The Blue Hill Meadows, p. 83, review of A Blue-eyed Daisy, p. 83; September 3, 2001, review of Good Morning, Sweetie Pie and other Poems for Little Children, p. 86; December 24, 2001, review of Little Whistle's Dinner Party, p. 67, review of Bunny Bungalow, p. 67; March 18, 2002, review of Little Whistle's Medicine, p. 105; April 1, 2002, review of The Heavenly Village, p. 86; April 15, 2002, review of Wedding Flowers, p. 66; April 22, 2002, review of Let's Go Home, p. 68; April 29, 2002, review of When I Was Young in the Mountains, p. 73; June 9, 2003, review of God Went to Beauty School, p. 53; August 4, 2003, review of Moonlight: The Halloween Cat, p. 77; September 29, 2003, review of Little Whistle, p. 67.

Reading Teacher, September, 1999, review of Poppleton Forever, p. 84; November, 2001, review of In November, p. 307.

School Library Journal, March, 1992, p. 241; March, 1997, p. 165; April, 1997, p. 116; October, 1997, p. 43; September, 1997, p. 193; January, 1999, review of Bear Day, p. 101; February, 1999, review of In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen, p. 88, review of Henry and Mudge under the Yellow Moon, p. 69, review of A Little Shopping, p. 88; March, 1999, review of Poppleton in Spring, p. 184; April, 1999, review of The Cookie-Store Cat, p. 108; June, 1999, review of Special Gifts, p. 106, review of Some Good News, p. 106, review of Henry and Mudge in the Sparkle Days, p. 77, review of Bunny Bungalow, p. 106; July, 1999, review of Henry and Mudge in the Green Time, p. 53; September, 1999, review of Poppleton in Fall, p. 203; December, 1999, review of Give Me Grace, p. 125; March, 2000, Selene S. Vasquez, review of Henry and Mudge and the Snowman Plan, p. 212, Elaine Fort Weischedel, review of The Heavenly Village, p. 242; April, 2000, Diane Janoff, review of Henry and Mudge and Annie's Perfect Pet, p. 113; May, 2000, Barbara Buckley, review of Thimbleberry Stories, p. 154; August, 2000, Blair Christolson, review of The Case of the Climbing Cat, p. 164; April, 2001, Karen Land, review of The Case of the Puzzling Possum, p. 121, Beth Tegart, review of The Great Gracie Chase!, p. 121; May, 2001, Anne Knickerbocker, review of Mr. Putter and Tabby Feed the Fish, p. 134, review of Summer Party, p. 134, review of Little Whistle, p. 134; July, 2001, review of The Case of the Troublesome Turtle, p. 88; October, 2001, Sharon McNeil, review of Little Whistle's Dinner Party, p. 130, review of Poppleton in Winter, p. 130; December, 2001, Lauralyn Persson, review of Good Morning, Sweetie Pie and Other Poems for Little Children, p. 128; April, 2002, Heather E. Miller, review of Little Whistle's Medicine, p. 122, review of Old Town in the Green Groves, p. 156; June, 2002, Blair Christolon, review of Let's Go Home, p. 124; February, 2003, Lee Bock, review of The Old Woman Who Named Things, p. 97, Lisa Smith, review of Henry and Mudge and the Tall Tree House, p. 120; March, 2003, Mary Burkey, audio book review of Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night, p. 90; April, 2003, Marilyn Taniguchi, review of Puppy Mudge Takes a Bath, p. 137; May, 2003, Sherrie Davidson, audio book review of Henry and Mudge and Annie's Good Move, p. 76, Doris Losey, review of The Case of the Fidgety Fox, p. 129; July, 2003, Maura Smith, audio book review of Henry and Mudge and the Snowman Plan, p. 69; September, 2003, Sherrie Davidson, audio book review of The Case of the Climbing Cat, p. 72, Mercedes Smith, audio book review of The Case of the Missing Monkey, p. 73, Karen Scott, audio book review of The Case of the Puzzling Possum, p. 73, James K. Irwin, review of Moonlight: The Halloween Cat, p. 190.

Social Studies, January, 2001, review of Mr. Griggs' Work, p. 39.

Teacher Librarian, March, 1999, review of A Little Shopping, p. 40; October, 1999, review of The Cookie-Store Cat, p. 57.

Tribune Books (Chicago, IL), March 25, 2001, review of Mr. Putter and Tabby Feed the Fish, p. 5.

Voice of Youth Advocates, April, 1992, p. 34.

Washington Post, December 24, 1990.

ONLINE

About.com,http://childrensbooks.about.com/ (June 2, 2003), "Spotlight on Cynthia Rylant."

Cynthia Rylant Web site, http://www.cynthiarylant.com/ (June 2, 2003).

Houghton Mifflin Web site,http://www.eduplace.com/kids/ (November 17, 2003), "Meet the Author: Cynthia Rylant."

Newport This Week Online, http://www.newportthisweek.com/news/ (June 2, 2003), review of Poppleton.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Online,http://www.postgazette.com/ (November 17, 2003), Lisa Dennis, "Cynthia Rylant's 60-plus Books Conquer a World of Subjects."*