Annie and Snowball and the Prettiest House (Annie and Snowball Series #2) by Cynthia Rylant, Suçie Stevenson (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

Annie and her pet bunny, Snowball, live right next door to Annie's favorite cousin, Henry, and his big dog, Mudge. Annie likes her home, and loves living next door to Henry, but she wishes her house were pretty instead of plain.

Can Henry and Mudge come to the rescue with a plan to make Annie's house beautiful?

Children's Literature

Favorite author Cynthia Rylant has expanded her Henry and Mudge series to include a young female cousin named Annie. This is the second adventure with Annie as a character. Annie and Henry live next door to each other and are best friends. Annie lives with her father, who does not have time for making things pretty and "girly." So Annie asks her cousin Henry for ideas in how to make her house pretty. Henry shows Annie all of the things that are stored in their attic that have belonged to other family members. Henry's mom lets the youngsters select whatever they want from the attic storage, and both families help to make Annie's dreams of a pretty house come true. When all of the decorating is complete, both families sit down to the new kitchen table to christen the new pretty house. Ms. Rylant continues to amaze those of us who are familiar with her books. She has expressed a desire to do something with her writing that makes the world better or nicer. She teaches children that they, too, can do something to make the world nicer. She has captured the middle grade children with her award winning titles and now has moved on to the elementary and younger ages. The illustrations by Ms. Stevenson are reminiscent of the "Amelia Bedelia" series books in their characterization and simplicity. This is an excellent read-aloud and a captivating first reader for children. Reviewer: Joyce Rice

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2 Annie, her father, and her pet bunny live next door to her cousin, Henry, and his dog, Mudge. While dainty Annie, who loves "lace hankies" and "frilly dresses," likes her nice, clean house, she longs for it to be pretty. One day, Henry remembers that there are tons of things in his attic that used to belong to various grandmas and aunts. The two kids get permission to explore the room and discover many pretty things with which to decorate Annie's home. Snowball and Mudge also find interesting objects to investigate. With the help of her dad and Henry's parents, the furniture and knickknacks are moved next door and carefully arranged, making Annie's house beautiful. This charming easy reader will draw in youngsters with its vivacious pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations, and the short paragraphs and chapters will help beginning readers prepare for more complex stories.-Erika Qualls, Ela Area Public Library District, Lake Zurich, IL

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