Night in the Country

Cynthia Rylant is basically unparalleled in the realm of the well done picture book. She's put out a lot of stuff that leaves me wondering as well, but Night in the Country sets the bar so high that it would be difficult not to be a bit disappointed with anything less. The scaffold is so beautiful and she crafts her words around it so expertly that calling this anything other than a masterpiece would be doing it a disservice.

I enjoy the works of Cynthia Rylant, and this most recent one I've read is a favorite. Her clear, beautiful images are poetic. She depicts the dark night of the country, the smells, and the sounds of those who inhabit the beauty. The lovely dark night, so black and beautiful it feels like light will never arrive. There was the clear sound of the blackness, and of frogs as they sang reek, reek, reek when their haunting noise surrounded the sky.

This book brought back childhood memories of the summer when my family lived in the country. There was a large corn field across the street, and down the road, there was the sound of a creek under the small road. My dog, named Patches, ran along side my bike wherever I went. My friend lived a half show more mile away, and at night when I peddled my bike from her house to mine, I was very much afraid. Everything seemed pitch black. When a train was heard way down the tracks, it gave an echoing, frightening, haunting sound that brought scary thoughts.

There were only a few people my age and that of my sister. We bonded with them and visited their houses down the lane. Periodically, we slept outside, blankets of the ground. And, in the morning we were covered with itchy mosquito bites, as we collected the blankets wet from the dew on the ground.

If you listen closely, Rylant reminded me of the sound of the screen door closing, , leading me to wonder who was up so late. And when the apple falls from the tree, one can almost hear the plop as it hits the ground, waiting for the bunny rabbit to eat it.
And as the farm animals sleep softly, the sun rises gently in the sky leaving lovely streaks of red, yellow, blue, and orange as the colors meet the green grass.

There's really nothing like it -- A night in the country. It is forever remembered and held in our memories, even as we grow to adults. We will always remember that specialness of the beautiful night sounds.

Once again, Rylant paints beautiful images with clear, soft words. show less

This is a good book for visualizing, it is simplistic and there aren't many words, but it helps them paint a picture in their mind as to what a night in the country would sound like, or even look like. I would read this book with late first graders early second graders because some of the words are rather large but it is a great introduction into personification.

NIGHT IN THE COUNTRY is one of those perfect kid's books that adults love to see and read.

It would rate the full 5 Stars if a new edition shows the dog to be in a large fenced area or sleeping on the porch
rather than chained...

This book describes all that happens at night while most of the world is asleep. The author describes what one might see and hear during the serene time in the country. The illustrations are wonderful and the book could encourage discussion about what kids know and have heard at night and the natural parts of night life. It also shows some animals who are active during this time period. Then it explains that at night things stop as the sun light brings day. Good for elementary students. It also could teach if then statements.

Ok, I should love this. I've enjoyed others by Rylant, I was raised in the country and am back in farm country again, the pictures are pretty, the text is graceful... but something about it doesn't click for me. Those who love it are justified, but I have to be honest and rate it lower. Sorry.

Night in the Country by Cynthia Rylant is the soft description of what happens at ‘nighttime’ in the country. Cynthia discusses the sounds heard at night such as the houses creaking, frogs singing, and apples falling from the tree. With a soft, gentle tone the narrator describes the animals and their babies’ actions during the night. The layouts of the illustrations are both single page and double page spreads. The illustrations have dark colors with sharp lines. The story wraps up with a beautiful bright morning sunrise. The sound words such as groans, thumps, and squeaks are visible in the text. Readers will find the text flowing smoothly off their tongue and find themselves feeling warm inside. This is great read for beginning show more readers to read at night before bed. Although this story has beautiful illustrations, there are no characters or plot to keep readers engaged. show less