10 Cynthia Rylant Books to Fall in Love with

Cynthia Rylant books for children classroom activities. Favorite books by Cynthia Rylant including Dog Heaven. These are some of our most cherished stories in kindergarten and first grade.

“The gift of language, it’s truly a gift”. These are the words of Cynthia Rylant. This wonderful writer has won several awards for her children’s books. She writes a lot of her books with a theme of having characters that take care of each other.  I am an absolute fan and love using her books in the classroom. Here are some of the best and my all time favorites. 

NOTE:  This post contains affiliate links, but my opinions are my own.

10 Cynthia Rylant Favorites

#1 All in a Day

I recently discovered All in a Day and fell in love instantly! The simple message that is written throughout this story reminds us to enjoy each new day and make it count. 

#2 Henry and Mudge: The First Book

Who doesn’t like Henry and Mudge? The first book is the best! It tells the story of how Henry and Mudge came to be. It was also a winner of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award! A sure add to your classroom library. 

#3 The Relatives Came

We all know what it’s like when relatives visit. The Relatives Came tells the story of relatives visiting in the summer. What a sweet book about families. Activities for this book can be found in our Engaging Readers November along with STEM activities in Engaging STEM November.

Click here for another blog post about the book, The Relatives Came.

#4 In November

In November is great as your class is heading into the fall. It starts by talking about how the outside weather is changing and then about seeing family for Thanksgiving. You can find activities for this book by clicking Engaging Readers November Set Two. To see the lesson plans in action, check out a blog post by clicking here.  

#5 The Old Woman Who Named Things

The Old Woman Who Named Things title fits this book perfectly… an old woman who names all sorts of things. Her car, Betsy; her chair, Fred; her house, Franklin… until she meets a little brown puppy. 

#6 Dog Heaven

One day, when I was teaching second grade, one of my students came to school devastated by the sudden loss of his dog.  We read Dog Heaven together.  He asked if he could take it home.  His mom brought it back to me the next day.  She had tears in her eyes when she said it had touched her heart.  As a fellow dog lover, I know how painful it is to lose a pet.  Cynthia Rylant’s gift of language adds comfort.

#7 Scarecrow

Just a sweet story of Scarecrow. Check out some lesson ideas for this book on another blog post: Scarecrow Lesson Plans. Get the activities by clicking: Engaging Readers November Set Two.

#8 Snow

Snow is a beautiful book to read with your students. In our reading comprehension units, we work on figurative language using this book.  Click here for some math & science lesson ideas, too!

#9 Mr. Putter and Tabby Write the Book

All of the books in this series are fun to read. What’s better is when you can use it for a lesson, of course! This book is a great introduction to writing in your classroom. We use this book as a mentor text in our writing workshop units. You can find Mr. Putter and Tabby Write a Book on Amazon too!

#10 Henny, Penny, Lenny, Denny, and Mike

Henny, Penny, Lenny, Denny, and Mike is the story of five, fab, fish friends! This would be a fun book to introduce onomatopoeias to your students!