The Relatives Came

The Relatives Came is a timeless story of family, love and good humor.

I first read this story to my First Grade class years ago. The illustrations are a story unto themselves. Whenever, I visit any family member or friend I leave a copy of this for folks of all ages, to let them know how blessed we are to have spent "QUALITY" time with each other. Time, our most valuable gift to one another, must be revered by all of us, so that our children will know how much they are loved.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

One of my favorite

Wow, I can't believe one of the readers here didn't like this book. This was one of my favorite books to read to my children when tye were growing up. I have no grandchildren, but will be buying this for my great niece. Oh how I hope I get the chance to read it to her. I LOVE this book and my children did too.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Entertaining and Sweet

When I was a kid this book was one of my favorites (next to When You Give a Mouse a Cookie)and I loved the illustrations! It's a light hearted book that kids and adults alike can enjoy.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Family life as it should be.

This book is filled with down home family love. The pictures speak volumes for happines in the family, inviting you in to feel the love and hugs. There is no mention of electronics, or money. Just family loving and helping each other. Stephen Gammell is wonderful in illistrating this book. In foster care, it is rare to find a book that shows what family life and love is really about. This book does all that and more.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The perfect gift!

This Christmas, I bought 11 copies of THE RELATIVES CAME by Cynthia Rylant, Stephen Gammell, illustrator. I gave it to all my adult friends, who have either been my house guest, I have been their house guest or they are known to have a lot of out of town guest. With each copy I added a note, saying I hope this book would find a place in their guestroom. As you read the delightful story, you'll find your self identifying with one of the characters, or have had one as a guest in your home. It's a children's book, that will make adults smile. I think it's a fun read....and a perfect gift!

Wonderful read-aloud book, that gives kids an idea of the fun of visits to extended family, from a time when things were far more simple and less pristine than today. Hilarious pictoral depictions.

I got this for my nephews, age 4. They seemed fascinated by the story that depicted a long trip to visit extended family. The point that family often live differently depending on their location and that is OK - because afterall, they're still family and its fun. The pictures are hilarious and give the story real life and fun.

The Relatives Came

The Relatives are comming from Virgina. ' They left when thier grapes were nearly purple enough to pick, but not quite.' Leaving from Virgina they came to your house. They drove all day and into the night. What will the relatives bring? Will they be back in time to pick thier grapes? Will everything come back to normal? All of the questions are answered in this book. Cynthia Rylant writes childrens books and has a popular series of Henry and Mudge. I really enjoy this book because it reminds me of my family reunions. All of the hugging and kissing is just what we do. Spending all sorts of time together is great, but it is nice to get back to normal. Rylant, Cynthia. THE RELATIVES CAME. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1985

Relatives Came

Cynthia Rylant, never really considered herself creative, she was more concerned about playing cops and being a tom boy then being interested in writing. Obviously things changed as the West Virgina native grew up. Her book, 'The Relatives Came' is a heart warming book that I fell in love with. This book is one that I related to really well. There are those realtives you only see once or twice a year and when you do they make it well worth so you don't miss them until the following year. This book has great illustrations by Stephen Gammell. The book earned a Caldecott Honor Medal in 1986. The pictures in the book are so pretty and colorful. The book brought a sense of warmth to me, the laughing and hugging reminded me of my family events. This book could relate to kids that just travel every so often to see their distant family members. Some kids may grow more respect for the visits they get to have. The pictures throughout the book seemed like they were all sketched by colored pencils. I absolutely love it.

Relatives Came

Cynthia Rylant did a great job on the book, 'The Relatives Came.' This book hit home so much with me. As she wrote in the book that they were in the car with their sandwhiches packed for the road, that reminded me so much of my family. The hugs from the family and the laughing just brought a sense of warmth like I knew the feeling so well. This book could relate to a lot of kids that just travel every so often to see that distant family member. I loved the pictures that illustrator, Stephen Gammell did. The picutres seemed like they were done with colored pencils. I loved the artwork as well as the story.

my 2 year old loved this book.

We recieved this book in a box of cereal that my 2 year old picked out at the store. She wanted the book out of the box before I could get to the checkout. My daughter is starting to have problems with her eyes, which we hope to get fixed soon. She wore the pages out looking at the realistic drawings of the people. We are now in search of another one for here, and I think I finally found where I can get another one. Thanks for such a great book with great details.

The Relatives Came

Caldecott: The book, The Relatives Came, was not very interesting. I did not enjoy reading it. It was not very exciting, it was kind of boring. The pictures were not very colorful and kind of plain. I did not like the book or think children would like it. The book does not keep your attention very well. I did not like the fact the book was not a real story, just a summary of events. The events were the kind of plain and boring. Nothing really was happening, just a summary of what went on. I did not like this book at all. Cynthia Rylant was born on June 6, 1954 in Hopewell, Virginia. Her parents had an unhappy marriage and were divorced when she was four years old. Rylant is her mother's maiden name. She has written about her life in her autobiography, But I'll Be Back Again. Her mother took Cynthia to live with her grandparents in Cool Ridge, West Virginia. It is her grandparents' house she remembers in When I Was Young in the Mountains. She lived with her grandparents until she was eight while her mother went to nursing school. The house had no electricity or running water. Cynthia never traveled far from home since the family had no car. She and her mother then moved to Beaver in southern West Virginia. Her grandparents were proud people and she has never forgotten her grandfather's advice, 'Always do the best you can with what you've got'. Living in a poor area of Appalachia, Cynthia had no real idea of what she could do after leaving high school. She decided to go to college and attended what is now the University of Charleston. She later completed a Master's degree in English at Marshall University. After leaving college, she worked as a waitress for awhile until she got a job working in the children's section at the Akron Public Library. Here she was able to read many, many children's books. She became a professional librarian and completed a Master's of Library Science degree at Kent State University in Ohio. Her first book for children was, When I Was Young in the Mountains. The book received the American Book Award in 1982 and was a Caldecott Honor Book. Diane Goode who illustrated the book received a Caldecott Honor Award for her illustrations. She has been writing outstanding books for children and young adults ever since. Cynthia Rylant traces her real interest in writing poetry to a display she saw in college which had poetry written by David Huddle. She loved his poetry, Paper Boy which had strong characters, 'People whose lives are hard but are proud of who and what they are¿. Her own poetry celebrates the lives of those who live with 'quiet dignity'. Rylant writes about Appalachia. She writes about the spirit and integrity of family and family life with all its joys and hardships. Her Appalachia The Voices of Sleeping Birds is especially noteworthy. Her books, with simplicity and grace, touch our hearts about difficult subjects, such as aging (Miss Maggie) and loss of a loved one (Missing May) which received a Boston Globe/Horn Book Award and a Newberry Honor Medal. Cynthia Rylant has said, 'Books alter our hearts'. Her books surely do. In 1993 she donated her manuscripts to the library at Kent State University. At that time she moved to Eugene, Oregon. The Relatives Came, book is about a group of relatives from Virginia that came to visit. The book talks about how long they traveled and what they packed with them for their trip. When they arrive it talks about all the hugging that went on and how long. There was big dinner where everyone ate. Some of the relatives slept in the bed with them, while other slept on the floor. Laying in all different directions on each other. The relatives ended up staying for weeks and weeks. They helped out with house work around the house and outside. Finally the relatives leave and the book talks about their journey home. Then, when the relatives arrive at home, they go to bed dreaming of the next summer to come. ¿The relatives weren¿t particular about beds, w

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Happy Hugging, Eating and Breathing of a Close Family!

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 chil

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