Christmas in the Country by Cynthia Rylant, Diane Goode (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

This loving celebration of Christmas is as fresh as the season's first snowfall, and as warm as a steaming mug of eggnog. A young girl growing up in the country enjoys a simple but enchanting Christmas with her family. Boxes of treasured homemade ornaments are brought out; an evergreen wreath brightens the front door; and relatives gather for a delicious meal. Captured here are the memorable holiday moments we cherish and remember-always.

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. (Oct.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 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 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Newbery Medalist Rylant and Goode collaborate again for the first time since their Caldecott Honor Book, When I Was Young in the Mountains (1982). This offering also explores the experiences of a little girl who leads an old-fashioned life in a cozy home with her grandparents (as did Rylant for several years of her childhood). In first-person narrative, the unnamed little girl and her grandparents prepare for a traditional but simple Christmas: putting up lights, decorating the tree, attending church, opening a few presents early Christmas morning, and welcoming guests for Christmas dinner. Goode’s loose watercolor-and-ink illustrations help create a cheery, comfortable home in which the little girl is tenderly loved and cared for. The child knows that Christmas will unfold each year in just the same ways with the predictability of family tradition that all children love. The setting and time period are not specified: somewhere in a place with hills and lots of snow and tolerance for an integrated community, as the family attends an integrated church and includes African-American friends in their Christmas dinner plans. The time period could be anywhere from the 1930s to the ’50s, but it’s definitely a much calmer and simpler time when a quiet, meaningful Christmas was within everyone’s reach. A serene and soothing look at the holiday, just right to share with a child while sipping cocoa and nibbling Christmas cookies. (Picture book. 3-5)

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