When I Was Young in the Mountains [Hardcover]

Cynthia Rylant (Author), Diane Goode (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

For twenty years, Cynthia Rylant's story of childhood in the Appalachian Mountains has been an enduring favorite. Growing up in the mountains is depicted with a spare, lyrical text and beautiful, tender illustrations by Diane Goode. The book was awarded a Caldecott Honor Medal.

To celebrate its twentieth anniversary, When I Was Young in the Mountains is being released with a commemorative copper-colored band.

Illustrated by Diane Goode

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When I was young in the mountains, Grandfather came home in the evening covered with the black dust of the coal mine. Now, Cynthia Rylant's When I Was Young in the Mountains, illus. by Diane Goode, a Caldecott Honor book, returns in a 20th-anniversary edition wrapped with a copper-colored commemorative band.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Cynthia Rylant is the author of many award-winning books, including Missing May, a Newbery Award winner. She lives in Washington State. Diane Goode's illustrations have been called "elegant and enchanting."

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1st edition (March 30, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052542525X
• ISBN-13: 978-0525425250
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #640,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True-to-life story of life in West Virginia, October 22, 1999

By 

Jess (West Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When I Was Young in the Mountains (Hardcover)

When I read this book for the first time, I couldn't help but remember stories my grandmother told me about her life in the hollars of West Virginia as a young girl. Although I did not grow up in this state, I've taught school here for 20 years. Believe it or not, much of this story is alive and well in West Virginia and that is a wonderful thing. Life is simple, family is important and good morals are still taught in these mountains and valleys. This book is an accurate depiction of life in rural Appalachia. I've given it as a gift to my nephews and nieces who live in other states and are not as "in touch" with their West Virginia heritage. The illustrations are beautiful and compliment the story wonderfully.

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Appalachia never looked so good, February 15, 2004

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: When I Was Young in the Mountains (Reading Rainbow Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

Author Cynthia Rylant has written a tender story of her childhood days, living in the Appalachian Mountains not so long ago. Accompanied by the excellent illustrator Diane Goode, the book is a straightforward look at life amongst the best-known American mountain folk. Scenes of daily life include everything from needing a brave adult to accompany you out into the dark scary night (on your way to the outhouse) to getting baptized in the local swimming hole.

The book is remarkable for its lack of overt sentimentality. Some might disagree with me, but I was struck by how this book did not fail to note the less than desirable elements of living in the wilderness. Swimming in a swimming hole of your own might be fun. Just watch out for snakes. And baths required an awful amount of work. Pumping the water. Carrying it to the house. Heating it. Goode's delicate illustrations accompany the text of this story perfectly. If Rylant says that the proprietors of the local store (Mr. & Mrs. Crawford) were identical, then gosh darn it, the people look identical. And I especially adored the moment when the narrator's grandmother kills a big nasty snake in the woods. The next picture displays the narrator, her brother, and two other red-headed childred posing sheepishly for a traveling photographer, gigantic dead snake draped across their heads.

I cannot think of many other book that take place in Appalachia. And I certainly can't think of any that are better than this. A sweet good-hearted story, "When I Was Young In the Mountains" understands what it meant to live a difficult life with pleasure and human warmth.

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A love song to the Appalachian region, August 25, 2002

By 

Catherine S. Vodrey (East Liverpool, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: When I Was Young in the Mountains (Reading Rainbow Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

Cynthia Rylant's enduring favorite "When I Was Young in the Mountains" is the tale of her own childhood growing up in the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia. The gently repetitive text details her everyday life, from swimming in a swimming hole (even if there were snakes!) to taking a bath to drinking cocoa made by her grandmother. Each page starts off with, "When I was young in the mountains . . . " By the final page, we see that not only did Ms. Rylant appreciate her low-tech, memory-making childhood, but she wouldn't have traded it for anything.

Diane Goode's softly colored illustrations beautifully dovetail with the text, whether she's showing a river baptism, a nighttime trip to the "johnny-house" after too much fried okra, or a stint at the water pump. It's a lovely ode to the simple life, and to being happy with what you have instead of worrying about what you don't have.