Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #616659 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Rylant and Goode return to some of the themes of their first collaboration, When I Was Young in the Mountains, for this evocative picture book about the simple things that make one girl's Christmas special. Rylant's idyllic subjects-enjoying cocoa and cookies, decorating the house and tree, singing at church-are as cozy as a kitchen warmed by a coal stove. Chipper ink-and-watercolor compositions, enhanced by cross-hatching and chock-full of homespun details (and the ever-present family dogs), exude contentment. Ages 3-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3-Bringing immediacy to a nostalgic story, Rylant describes a snowy Christmas in a rural setting. From the tree ("It was the prettiest thing we had") to the decorations retrieved from the closet ("Each ornament reminded me of my whole life"), this gentle, first-person narrative shimmers with affection. The text is well matched with Goode's humorous pen-and-ink and watercolor pictures. Though the illustrations present an idealized happy, busy, country house with snowy, woodsy exteriors and an integrated church and family groupings, the intensely personal text anchors the presentation and gives it credibility. A selection that holds up and retains interest after repeated readings.-S. P.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
As a child in West Virginia, Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant devoured comic books and paperback romances. She never dreamed of being a writer until she took one college English class. Then she became "hooked on great writing...I didn't know about this part of me until I went to college—didn't know that I loved beautiful stories." One night, inspired by the Southern writer, James Agee, she wrote her first picture book, When I Was Young in the Mountains, which was an instant success. Since then, she's written more than 60 children's books and received numerous awards, including the Newbery and the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award. With simplicity and grace, Rylant's books explore such subjects as aging, the trials of spirituality, the loss of a loved one, and the spirit and integrity of family life with all its joys and hardships. Rylant has said, "Books alter our hearts." Her books are a testament to this promise. Rylant lives in the Pacific Northwest. For more information about Cynthia Rylant, visit: scholastic.com/tradebooks