Product 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10519 in Books
• Published on: 1993-07-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780689717383
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

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.

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.

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, and two Caldecott Honor Books, The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant and Where the Buffaloes Begin by Olaf Baker. Mr. Gammell lives with his wife, Linda, in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he changes his socks regularly.

From AudioFile
[Editor's Note: The following is a combined review with LILLY'S PURPLE PLASTIC PURSE, PICKLES FROM PITTSBURGH, CHATO'S KITCHEN, and PETE'S A PIZZA.]--Special relationships between characters are the stuff of engaging stories. Each character becomes a vivid part of the listener's imagination. In THE RELATIVES CAME, the annual summer trip is fondly remembered. Similar car trips, greetings, spreads of food and conversation, and bulging houses will spring to mind. The relaxed pace of this recording provides the time to savor these memories. In PICKLES TO PITTSBURGH, Judi Barrett revisits the wonderful world of Chewandswallow, featuring immense foodstuffs, and from this world distinct characters emerge. Listeners will appreciate the interplay of Grandpa's adventure with Kate's dream and the relationships of the fantastic foods. In PETE'S A PIZZA, Pete is in a terrible state, and it is his father who has the wisdom to humor him back to his usual self by making Pete into a pizza pie. The giggles of Pete and the listeners increase as Pete is kneaded, stretched, spread, baked, and (almost) sliced. Food is also center stage in CHATO'S KITCHEN. In hospitable fashion, Chato invites his new neighbors to dinner. Dreaming of a mouse feast, Chato and his cat buddy think up and stir up a delicious meal with Spanish flavor, only to be greeted at the door by the mice and their special guest. The twist in the anticipated outcome and the deep richness of Chato's voice are memorable. While special treats baked for school are a part of the story, it is the interaction of Lilly with her teacher that is central and poignant in LILLY'S PURPLE PLASTIC PURSE. Their days have ups and downs in typical childlike mode as only Kevin Henkes can portray. Will Lilly weather the humiliation when Mr. Slinger takes (just for the day) her prized new possession? In this recording Lilly is enjoyably squeaky, and Mr. Slinger is kindly authoritative and wise. Background voices are used effectively to interject the "bubble stories" from the text. While listening to this collection of stories is a distinct pleasure, the illustrations help to make the experience memorable. Listen, look, and enjoy! A.R. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

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 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!

A vivid, lively book for kids
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.

An Memorable Book For All Ages
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.