Christmas In The Country

A young girl narrates the story of her Christmas in the country with her grandparents in this engaging holiday picture book from author Cynthia Rylant and illustrator Diane Goode. Putting up Christmas lights outside, decorating the huge Christmas tree in the living room, attending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services, opening presents on the big day, and entertaining visiting family and friends are all described, as the girl and her grandparents celebrate the season. When the tree is eventually taken down and the ornaments packed away, there is a sense that they will be waiting for the next year...

Published in 2002, Christmas in the Country was the second picture book that Rylant and Goode produced together, following upon their show more When I Was Young in the Mountains, which netted Goode a Caldecott Honor in 1983. I absolutely love that earlier book, which is based upon Rylant's experiences growing up in Appalachia, so I approached this one with anticipation. On the whole I was pleased, finding it a sweet story of family traditions at the Christmas holidays. I particularly appreciated the fact that religious traditions were included, but weren't the focus. There are many, many picture books about the Christmas story, and about the religious and spiritual significance of that story, just as there are many about the secular traditions surrounding the holiday. Having enjoyed both kinds of book, it was nice to read one which included religious activity while focusing more on the family circle, as I often feel as if books of the second kind (those focusing more on cultural Christmas activities) omit religious content altogether. The accompanying artwork was appealing, capturing the warmth of the family circle and the joy of their country holiday customs. I don't know that I really loved this one as much as When I Was Young in the Mountains, which was truly special, but I did enjoy it and am glad to have read it. Recommended to picture book readers looking for Christmas stories with a country setting, or featuring families where children are being raised by grandparents. show less

Christmas in the Country, written by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Diane Goode, tells a story about a young girl who lives with her grandparents in the country. She loves different things about each season, but she especially loves the winter season, namely because of Christmas. In the story, the family's Christmas traditions and rituals are shared in a comedic and entertaining way. I liked this book because it reminds me of what is great about the holiday season: family. One way I would use this text in my own classroom would be to discuss symbols. This book talks about each season and what they are represented by, so this would be a great book to use for symbol explanations and developing students own symbols.

This is a warm, heart-felt story. A young girl living with her grandparents in the country describes the events leading up to Christmas. She tells the audience that in the summer she sits on the swing, during spring, picks apples and during winter she prepares for Christmas. She and her grandparents work together to prepare for the holiday. They go to church on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day to celebrate the true meaning of this holiday. They also celebrate this time of year with other family members and friends. The story is very descriptive, that you can almost imagine all the events taking place. I would use this book with 3-5 year olds. There aren't too many words in it. The theme if the book is loving one's family. Christmas is show more not about the material things. It's about spending time with your loved ones. show less

The story reflects about different habits within an family living in an rural are. Especially nice are all the illustrations, made my black ink and watercolors. Normally, we are used to a family consisting of parents and one or two children. But this book is a little bit different. Probably the girl is living with her grandparents and her mother and father never appear in story. It might me interesting if students realize the fact that there are no parents involved in the story.

A little girl who lives with her grandparents in the country cannot await Christmas Eve. She helps her grandparents to prepare everything, decorate the tree and writes a note to Santa what she wishes for.
A very nice book that may satisfy children who cannot await Christmas and as we all can remember when being a child the time before Christmas seems to last forever. When reading this book you can literally feel the calm and tranquil atmosphere around Christmas and it hopefully will push aside the hectic and busy time we have to face at Christmas.

This book is a great example of realistic fiction. As a young girl tells the readers of her Christmas experience, she tell of traditions and special events that she and her grandparents partake in each year. For example, she discusses what the weather looks like, how her family traditionally finds a Christmas tree, and she discusses her feelings throughout the process. Overall, I think the author sets up the book in a way that young children can relate with. Whatever a child's tradition or religious preference may be, children can relate to the warm feelings that are associated with this book.

Age appropriateness: All

Media: Ink and watercolor

Great book to read to children when talking about what their traditions are for the holidays. Every year the little girl does the same traditions at her grandparents house where she lives. They decorate a christmas tree, go to church Christmas night and Christmas morning, then everyone comes over to eat.