The Relatives Came [Paperback]

Cynthia Rylant (Author), Stephen Gammell (Illustrator)

Book Description

In a rainbow-colored station wagon that smelled like a real car, the relatives came. When they arrived, they hugged and hugged from the kitchen to the front room. All summer they tended the garden and ate up all the strawberries and melons. They plucked banjos and strummed guitars.

When they finally had to leave, they were sad, but not for long. They all knew they would be together next summer.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3 The title of Rylant's exuberant tale is an understatement, for when "those relatives" came, they came en masse and they came for an extended stay. Their anticipation at seeing kin during their long, long drive and finally hugging them "against their wrinkled Virginia clothes" set the tone for this welcome family reunion, a visit that never wears thin. The relatives are depicted as a support system to help a fatherless family with all the things that need to be done in and around their house. In down-to-earth language that harbors strong emotion, Rylant recounts the festive celebration of the relatives' stayand the ensuing sadness when they depart. The relatives in question are a large rural brood, depicted, in Gammell's joyous color pencil drawings, as running the gamut from porcine to scrawny, old to young and rowdy to silent. In pictures of this group hugging, eating and sleeping, the unspoken closeness of the unnamed relatives can be felt. These softly colored pictures, which capture the spirit of the brief text, are large enough for sharing in groupsa use of this warm book that seems particularly appropriate. David Gale, "School Library Journal"
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Cynthia Rylant is the author of more than 100 books for young people, including the beloved Henry and Mudge, Annie and Snowball, and Mr. Putter & Tabby series. Her novel Missing May received the Newbery Medal. She lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

Stephen Gammell is the beloved illustrator of more than fifty books for children?, including Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman, which received the Caldecott Medal; two Caldecott Honor Books, The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant and Where the Buffaloes Begin by Olaf Baker; and The Secret Science Project That Almost Ate the School by Judy Sierra. Stephen lives with his wife, Linda, in St. Paul, Minnesota.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (July 31, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689717385
• ISBN-13: 978-0689717383
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 9.2 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #63,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( R ) > Rylant, Cynthia

More About the Author

Cynthia Rylant is the author of numerous distinguished novels and picture books for young readers. In addition to her beginning-reader series: Henry and Mudge, Poppleton, and Mr. Putter and Tabby, as well as her Cobble Street Cousins early-chapter series, she is also the author of the Newbery Medal-winning Missing May, the Newbery Honor Book A Fine White Dust, and two Caldecott Honor-winning picture books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Happy Hugging, Eating and Breathing of a Close Family!, March 20, 2001

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Relatives Came (Paperback)

Do you remember being told as a child that some relatives (whom you didn't really recall) were coming to visit? If so, this book will evoke all of the trepidition and excitement of those days . . . not to mention the scattered inconveniences you experienced, that were quickly forgotten in oceans of warm acceptance.

The strength of the book is in its illustrations, which warmly capture emotional closeness, like being tucked into bed by your Mom after a wonderful but tiring day. For those illustrations, The Relatives Came won a Caldecott Honor Award in 1986 that is well deserved.

The images are very happy, soft and fuzzy all at the same time. The illustrations look as though they were produced with pastel pencils using very fine points, constantly sharpened. With rounded faces and bodies, everyone seems very open and comfortable in hospitable surroundings. I have rarely seen a book that sets a better illustrated tone for a friendly family gathering. It caused me to recall my favorite family reunions.

The story is not as strong as the illustrations, but is more than adequate. One part of the family lives in Virginia and is leaving before the grapes are ready to be picked. They get up at 4 a.m. and drive straight through in a food and luggage packed station wagon. They leave the same way, weeks later, after having spent a happy summer camping inside the relative's house they visit. The initial nervousness and homesickness give way to missing their relatives, based on the happy times they share together that summer. The solution? Do it again next summer!

The story is designed to pick up on the physical aspects of closeness, and use those to convey a connection to emotional closeness. For people who are kinesthetically oriented, this story will be gripping and realistic. For people who are visual, the story's illustrations will provide happy connections and experiences. For those who are auditory, the sound of breathing is described to extend the senses in that direction.

The story's strength is in drawing on happy memories of having been in the middle of such family visits. For children without such experiences, the book will seem abstract and disconnected. I suggest telling a story about experiences in your family that are like the one here. That will help your child make the connection to the themes expressed here.

Perhaps the best way to enjoy the story is to act out the physical actions and sounds with your child. You can take turns being one or the other part of the family.

Does your family have opportunities for extended closeness with relataives? If you don't, hopefully this book will cause you to consider making that happen. That will be one of the finest inheritances you can provide your children, a connection to deep wells of extended family love and acceptance.

Hug your family whenever you can!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A vivid, lively book for kids, July 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Relatives Came (Hardcover)

The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Stephen Gammell is a lively children's book about a family and the relatives who came to visit them. It shows what type of things the family had to go through when the relatives showed up. There was hugging, eating, and breathing for many weeks, after which the relatives pack up and leave. They miss each other after they leave. The Relatives Came helps kids understand the importance of family. They realize that while the family may not be together; they are missed by the relatives. The font and illustration is both crazy and crooked. This helps show how packing for vacation is frantic. Gammell draws the pictures with vivid colors, and the pictures look as if they were drawn with color pencils. This helps keep the child attracted to the book because it is very eye-appealing.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Memorable Book For All Ages, September 19, 2004

By 

Jessica Deaton (Kentucky (USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Relatives Came (Paperback)

This book, "The Relatives Came" by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Stephen Gammell, was a delight to read. I found myself smiling as I read the words that made the artwork come alive. Likewise, I found myself recollecting over the memories of the past when my relatives would come to visit. And, I felt as if I, too, were a part of this book. Having experienced growing up in a small town where you don`t see that many people, I believe that when relatives come to visit, it almost seems like Christmas. As a result, when the book expressed the joy, laughter, and celebration of family, it stirred up these memories of the past. Unquestionably, almost anyone, from children to adults, could find themselves reminiscing and longing for the fun they had when their relatives come to visit.