Cynthia Rylant

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Cynthia Rylant (born June 6, 1954) is an American author. She has written more than 100 children's books in English and Spanish, including works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Her novel Missing May won the 1993 Newbery Medal and A Fine White Dust was a 1987 Newbery Honor book.

Contents

[edit] Life and career

Rylant was born in Hopewell, Virginia. Her parents divorced when she was four years old, and she was sent to live with her grandparents in Cool Ridge, West Virginia, while her mother attended nursing school. Four years later, she moved back with her mother, who had relocated to Beaver, West Virginia. She had little contact with her father, and he died when she was thirteen years old.[1]

Growing up in the Appalachian region of the U.S. during the 1960s, Rylant lived in a very depressed economic environment. Her grandparents lived a rustic life, with no electricity, running water or automobile.[2] As a result, she never saw children's books as a child, reading mainly comic books, enjoying the outdoors and falling in love with Paul McCartney and Robert Kennedy, whom she met during his presidential campaign. She was not introduced to the genre of children's books until she was 23 years old, working in a library. However her childhood was the major influence on her works, and most of them deal with life in the Appalachian region.

Rylant earned a B.A. degree from Morris Harvey College (now the University of Charleston) in 1975 and a M.A. degree from Marshall University in 1976. Unable to find a job in her field after completing college, she first worked as a waitress and later as a librarian at the Akron Public Library, where she became acquainted with children's books. She wrote her first book, When I Was Young in the Mountains, in 1982, based on her experiences as a young child living in the country with her grandparents. The picture book, which Rylant later said took her an hour to complete, earned an American Book Award in 1982 and was a Caldecott Honor Book. She earned a Masters in Library Science degree from Kent State University in 1981.

Rylant followed her inaugural effort with six more picture books. Her 1983 book, Miss Maggie, deals with themes of aging. Her 1986 book, The Relatives Came, describes how she slept on the floor when company visited. After these, in 1987, she published the first of her popular Henry and Mudge series books, Henry and Mudge: The First Book of Their Adventures. Since then, she has published additional picture books, 34 Henry and Mudge books (about Henry, a little boy, who has no one to play with until he gets a dog. Mudge grows from a tiny puppy into an 180-pound companion), books for older readers, including young adult novels and story collections, and collections of poetry. Her critically praised 2004 picture book, Long Night Moon, describes the different moons that Native American cultures use to mark the changing seasons. 1995's The Van Gogh Cafe is one of the author's favorites.

Her books often deal with the joys and hardships of family life,[1] with animals and the outdoors, espcially in the Appalachian region, and her characters are often loners or people facing hardships. Her 1991 non-fiction book, Appalachia; The Voices of Sleeping Birds, is a vivid picture of life in Appalachia. Rylant became interested in writing poetry when she read some poetry in college by David Huddle. She said of his Paper Boy, that the strong characters were "People whose lives are hard but are proud of who and what they are."[2]

In 1993, Rylant donated her manuscripts to the library of Kent State University, where she had received her library science degree. She then relocated to Eugene, Oregon, where she still resides with her partner since 1989, Dav Pilkey (an author/illustrator). She has a son, Nathaniel, from her first marriage.

[edit] Honors

Rylant has received a number of awards and honors for her work. A Fine White Dust (1987) won a Newbery Honor, and Missing May (1993) won a Newbery Medal. When I Was Young in the Mountains (1982) and The Relatives Came (1985), received the ALSC Caldecott Award. The Relatives Came and Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds (1991) are each Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Books, as is Missing May, which deals with the loss of a loved one. A Kindness (1988), Soda Jerk (1990), and A Couple of Kooks and Other Stories about Love (1990) have each been named a "Best Book of the Year for Young Adults" by the American Library Association.

[edit] Works

  • 1982 When I Was Young in the Mountains
  • 1983 Miss Maggie
  • 1983 This Year's Garden
  • 1984 Waiting to Waltz....a Childhood (poetry)
  • 1985 A Blue-Eyed Daisy (a novel; also published as Some Year for Ellie)
  • 1985 Every Living Thing (stories)
  • 1986 A Fine White Dust (novel)
  • 1986 Night in the Country
  • 1986 The Relatives Came
  • 1987 Birthday Presents
  • 1987 Children of Christmas: Stories for the Season
  • 1988 All I See
  • 1988 A Kindness (novel)
  • 1989 But I'll Be Back Again: An Album
  • 1989 Mr. Griggs' Work
  • 1990 A Couple of Kooks and Other Stories about Love
  • 1990 Soda Jerk (poetry)
  • 1991 Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds (non-fiction)
  • 1992 An Angel for Solomon Singer
  • 1992 Missing May
  • 1992 Best Wishes
  • 1993 I Had Seen Castles (novel)
  • 1993 The Dreamer
  • 1994 The Blue Hill Meadows
  • 1994 The Old Woman Who Named Things
  • 1994 Something Permanent (poetry)
  • 1995 Dog Heaven
  • 1995 Gooseberry Park
  • 1995 The Van Gogh Cafe
  • 1996 The Bookshop Dog (who will care for a dog when her owner becomes ill?)
  • 1996 Margaret, Frank, and Andy: Three Writers' Stories, biographical stories (three volumes): A Story of Margaret Wise Brown, A Story of L. Frank Baum, and A Story of E. B. White.
  • 1996 The Whales
  • 1997 Cat Heaven
  • 1997 Silver Packages: An Appalachian Christmas Story (a rich man gives gifts to poor children in Appalachia)
  • 1998 Bear Day
  • 1998 The Bird House
  • 1998 Bless Us All: A Child's Yearbook of Blessings
  • 1998 The Islander (novel)
  • 1998 Scarecrow
  • 1998 Tulip Sees America (a young man and his dog see the farms and mountains of America)
  • 1999 Bunny Bungalow
  • 1999 The Cookie-Store Cat
  • 1999 Give Me Grace: A Child's Daybook of Prayers
  • 1999 The Heavenly Village
  • 2000 In November
  • 2000 Thimbleberry Stories
  • 2000 The Wonderful Happens
  • 2001 Good Morning, Sweetie Pie and Other Poems for Little Children
  • 2001 The Great Gracie Chase
  • 2001 Let's Go Home: The Wonderful Things About a House
  • 2002 Old Town in the Green Groves
  • 2002 The Ticky-Tacky Doll
  • 2003 God Went to Beauty School (poetry)
  • 2004 Long Night Moon
  • 2005 The Stars Will Shine Tonight
  • 2005 Puppies and Piggies
  • 2005 Miracles in Motion
  • 2005 If You'll Be My Valentine
  • 2005 Boris (poetry)
  • 2006 Ludie's Life

[edit] Series titles

Annie and Snowball Series
  • 2007 Annie and Snowball and the Dress-up Birthday
  • 2007 Annie and Snowball and the Prettiest House
Cobble Street Cousins Series
  • 1998 In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen
  • 1998 A Little Shopping
  • 1999 Special Gifts
  • 1999 Some Good News
  • 2001 Summer Party
  • 2002 Wedding Flowers
The Everyday Series
  • 1993 Everyday Children
  • 1993 Everyday Garden
  • 1993 Everyday House
  • 1993 Everyday Pets
  • 1993 Everyday School
  • 1993 Everyday Town
  • 1997 An Everyday Book
Henry and Mudge Series
  • 1987 1 Henry and Mudge
  • 1987 2 Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble
  • 1987 3 Henry and Mudge in the Green Time
  • 1987 4 Henry and Mudge under the Yellow Moon
  • 1988 5 Henry and Mudge in the Sparkle Days
  • 1989 6 Henry and Mudge and the Forever Sea
  • 1989 7 Henry and Mudge Get the Cold Shivers
  • 1990 8 Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat
  • 1991 9 Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps
  • 1991 10 Henry and Mudge Take the Big Test
  • Henry and Mudge and the Long Weekend
  • Henry and Mudge and the Wild Wind
  • 1991 13 Henry and Mudge and the Careful Cousin
  • 1995 14 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
  • Henry's Puppy Mudge has a Snack
  • Henry's Puppy Mudge Takes a Bath
The High Rise Private Eyes Series;
  • The High Rise Private Eyes: The Case of the Climbing Cat
  • The High Rise Private Eyes: The Case of the Missing Monkey
  • The High Rise Private Eyes: The Case of the Puzzling Possum
  • The High Rise Private Eyes: The Case of the Troubling Turtle
  • The High Rise Private Eyes: The Case of the Sleepy Sloth
  • The High Rise Private Eyes: The Case of the Fidgety Fox
  • The High Rise Private Eyes: The Case of the Baffled Bear
  • The High Rise Private Eyes: The Case of the Deperate Duck
Little Whistle Series
  • 2001 Little Whistle
  • 2001 Little Whistle's Dinner Party
  • 2002 Little Whistle's Medicine
  • 2003 Little Whistle's Christmas
Mr. Putter and Tabby Series
  • 1994 Mr. Putter and Tabby Pour the Tea
  • 1994 Mr. Putter and Tabby Walk the Dog
  • 1994 Mr. Putter and Tabby Bake the Cake
  • 1995 Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick the Pears
  • 1997 Mr. Putter and Tabby Fly the Plane
  • 1997 Mr. Putter and Tabby Row the Boat
  • 1998 Mr. Putter and Tabby Take the Train
  • 1998 Mr. Putter and Tabby Toot the Horn
  • 2000 Mr. Putter and Tabby Paint the Porch
  • 2001 Mr. Putter and Tabby Feed the Fish
  • 2002 Mr. Putter and Tabby Catch the Cold
  • 2003 Mr. Putter and Tabby Stir the Soup
  • 2004 Mr. Putter and Tabby Write the Book
  • 2005 Mr. Putter and Tabby Make a Wish
  • 2006 Mr. Putter and Tabby Spin the Yarn
  • 2007 Mr. Putter and Tabby See the Stars
Poppleton Series
  • 1997 Poppleton
  • 1998 Poppleton and Friends
  • 1998 Poppleton Everyday
  • 1998 Poppleton Forever
  • 1999 Poppleton in Spring
  • 1999 Poppleton in Fall
  • 2000 Poppleton Has Fun
  • 2001 Poppleton in Winter

[edit] Autobiography

  • But I'll Be Back Again; An Album (1989) New York:Orchard Books

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b "Cynthia Rylant" biography from the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Library at West Virginia Wesleyan College
  2. ^ a b Ramsey, Inez and Herb Wilburn. "Cynthia Rylant", Children's and Young Adults' Authors & Illustrators, Internet School Library Media Center

[edit] References

[edit] External links