CYNTHIA  RYLANT 

 

All about Cynthia Rylant .... 

Cynthia Rylant was born in Hopewell, Va., in June 1954. Her parents' unhappy marriage ended when she was four, and Rylant went to live with her grandparents in Cool Ridge, WV, while her mother attended nursing school.  Cynthia lived with her grandparents for the next four years; it is this time and place that she remembers in her first book When I Was Young In the Mountains, a picture book describing the joys of her Appalachian childhood. Later she and her mother moved to Beaver, a small town in southern West Virginia. Young Cynthia had little contact with her father after her parents' divorce, though he wrote occasionally for a while after they moved to West Virginia. 

After high school and with no real career plans, Rylant attended Morris Harvey College (what has now become the University of Charleston), graduating in 1975. She followed that degree with a Master of Arts in English from Marshall University and a Master of Library Science from Kent State. It was while working in the children's section of the Akron (OH) Public Library that Rylant was first truly exposed to children's literature; there had been no libraries or bookstores in the mostly poor, rural areas of her childhood.

When I Was Young In the Mountains, her first book, was published in 1982. The autobiographical tale caught the attention of critics and parents, becoming an ALA notable book and a Reading Rainbow selection. She followed with six more picture books before publishing the first volume in her popular Henry and Mudge series, Henry and Mudge: The First Book of Their Adventures, in 1987. She has continued writing ever since. 

Here is a list of her books...

Picture Books

  • When I Was Young in the Mountains

  • Miss Maggie

  • The Relatives Came

  • Night in the Country

  • Birthday Presents

  • All I See

  • Mr. Griggs' Work

  • The Old Woman Who Named Things

  • The Great Gracie Chase

 Cobblestreet Cousins - Fiction
  • In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen
  • A Little Shopping
  • Some Good news
  • Special Gifts
  • Summer Party
  • Wedding Flowers
 Chapter books - Fiction
  • A Blue-Eyed Daisy (novel)
  • Every Living Thing (stories)
  • A Fine White Dust (novel)
  • Missing May
  • The Van Gogh Cafe
  • Gooseberry Park

 

Henry and Mudge

  • Henry and Mudge: The First Book of Their Adventures

  • Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble

  • Henry and Mudge in the Green Time

  • Henry and Mudge under the Yellow Moon

  • Henry and Mudge in the Sparkle Days

  • Henry and Mudge and the Forever Sea

  • Henry and Mudge Get the Cold Shivers

  • Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat

  • Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps
  • Henry and Mudge Take the Big Test
  • Henry and Mudge and the Long Weekend
  • Henry and Mudge and the Wild Wind
  • Henry and Mudge and the Careful Cousin
  • Henry and Mudge and the Best Day of All
  • Henry and Mudge in the Family Trees
  • Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Crackers
  • Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night
  • Henry and Mudge and Annie's Good Move
  • Henry and Mudge and the Snowman Plan
  • Henry and Mudge and the Funny Lunch
  • Henry and Mudge and the Tall Tree House
  • Henry and Mudge and Mrs. Hopper's House
  • Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas
  • Henry and Mudge and a Very Special Merry Christmas
  • Henry and Mudge and the Wild Goose Chase
  • Henry and Mudge and the Big Sleepover
  • Henry and Mudge and the Tumbling Trip
  • Henry and Mudge and Annie's Perfect Pet

 

Puppy Mudge

  • Puppy Mudge has a Snack
  • Puppy Mudge Takes a Bath
  • Puppy Mudge Wants to Play
  • Puppy Mudge Loves his Blanket
  • Puppy Mudge Finds a Friend

 

 Mr. Putter & Tabby - First Readers
  • Mr. Putter and Tabby Walk the Dog
  • Mr. Putter and Tabby Bake the Cake
  • Mr. Putter and Tabby Pour the Tea
  • Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick the Pears
  • Mr. Putter and Tabby Row the Boat
  • Mr. Putter and Tabby Fly the Plane
  • Mr. Putter and Tabby Take the Train
  • Mr. Putter and Tabby Toot the Horn
  • Mr. Putter and Tabby Paint the Porch
  • Mr. Putter and Tabby Feed the Fish
  • Mr. Putter and Tabby Catch the Cold

 

Lighthouse Family - First Readers

  • The Eagle
  • The Whale
  • The Storm
  • The Turtle
  • The Octopus

 

Poppleton  - First Readers

  • Poppleton
  • Poppleton and Friends
  • Poppleton Everyday
  • Poppleton Forever
  • Poppleton in Fall
  • Poppleton in Spring
  • Poppleton Has Fun
  • Poppleton in Winter

 

High Rise Private Eyes - First Readers

  • The Case of the Climbing Cat
  • The Case of the Missing Monkey
  • The Case of the Puzzling Possum
  • The Case of the Troubling Turtle
  • The Case of the Sleepy Sloth
  • The Case of the Baffled Bear