If you’ve been around here long, you know I love a good author study. The past month we have read and enjoyed books by Cynthia Rylant. She is a beloved children’s book author and has written both funny and heartwarming stories for young humans.
Simply reading and enjoying an author’s work is enough, but it can extend learning when partnered with meaningful follow-up activities. Here is what our Cynthia Rylant Author Study looked like this past month.
Cynthia Rylant Author Study
1. Collect books
Cynthia Rylant has written more than 100 children’s books so there is a plethora of choices. Check out a stack of books from the library by Rylant.
2. Learn about the author
Youtube is a great place to hunt down videos about an author. Learn about Rylant and why she writes.
3. Read books by the author
See how many books you can read by this beloved author. Rylant has written many early chapter books, great for early elementary readers including the Henry and Mudge series, the Poppleton series, and the Mr. Putter and Tabby series. Other favorites: When I Was Young in the Mountains, The Relatives Came, Scarecrow and Let’s Go Home.
4. Complete extension activities
Extension activities are completely optional when doing an author study. However, they can bring more meaning to the books and author studied. Here are activities to complete with various Cynthia Rylant books.
Read multiple Mr. Putter and Tabby books. Discuss the theme that appears in these books: friendship. Write a letter to a best friend thanking him/her for being a good friend.
Read Scarecrow. Complete this Scarecrow Art Hub for Kids or one of these scarecrow art projects: Torn Paper Scarecrow, Paper Plate Scarecrow, or Paper Bag Scarecrow.
Read Let’s Go Home. After reading, discuss each child’s favorite room in the home. Draw a map or picture of the room. Another option: go outside and sketch the outside of your home.
Read The Relatives Came. Tell stories of trips and past memories to see family. Have children dictate or write a favorite memory while visiting family.
Read When I was Young in the Mountains. After reading, tell a story of a memory you have from when you were young. Encourage your child to think of a specific memory and use details to tell the story. Find a photograph to go with the memory and glue to a sheet of paper. Have your child dictate the story to you or your child can write the memory on the paper with the photograph.
Read multiple Henry and Mudge books. Model telling a story about a pet. Encourage children to tell a story about a pet, past or current. Children can write the story and draw a picture to go with it.
Read Night in the Country. Let your kids stay up until the sun sets. Go outside and either sit on a blanket or take a walk. Tell them to use their senses to notice things they hear, see, taste, smell, and touch.
Cynthia Rylant
Cynthia Rylant has an extensive list of books to choose from and read. Her storytelling is heartwarming, funny, and memorable. Tell me: Will you study Cynthia Rylant this year?