Gooseberry Park, Volume 1

Cynthia Rylant

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007 - Juvenile Fiction - 133 pages

This "impeccably paced fantasy"* from Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant is a don't-miss classic animal adventure.

Told from the perspective of four animal friends and filled with charming black-and-white illustrations, Gooseberry Park works well both as a read-aloud and as a fun independent book for second through fourth graders.

Stumpy Squirrel has just settled into a new nest in a magnificent pin oak in Gooseberry Park. It's the perfect spot for her babies to be born! When they arrive healthy and strong, Stumpy's three good friends--a Labrador retriever, a wise hermit crab, and a bat--are thrilled.

But after a terrible ice storm destroys the pin oak, Stumpy disappears. It takes a special combination of courage, humor, and tenacity for Stumpy's friends to rescue her babies and bring her home again.

Plus the adventures continue in Gooseberry Park and the Master Plan and the third book in the series, A Kitten in Gooseberry Park.

*starred Publishers Weekly review

Contents

• A New Nest: 1
• Night Talk: 8
• Friends: 13
• Murray: 23
• Time: 31
• Children: 36
• Ice: 40
• A Very Big Risk: 46
• Rescue and Remorse: 53
• The Wanderer: 62
• Guests: 72
• Food and Conversation: 79
• The Weasel: 85
• A Brilliant Idea: 91
• Yet Another Muckraker: 96
• The Sign: 106
• The Wonders of Technology: 113
• A New Home: 120
• The Wonderful Watch: 129

About the author

Cynthia Rylant was born on June 6, 1954 in Hopewell, Virginia. She attended and received degrees at Morris Harvey College, Marshall University, and Kent State University. Rylant worked as an English professor and at the children's department of a public library, where she first discovered her love of children's literature. She has written more than 100 children's books in English and Spanish, including works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Her novel Missing May won the 1993 Newbery Medal and A Fine White Dust was a 1987 Newbery Honor book. Rylant wrote A Kindness, Soda Jerk, and A Couple of Kooks and Other Stories, which were named as Best Book for Young Adults. When I was Young in the Mountains and The Relatives Came won the Caldecott Award. She has many popular picture books series, including Henry and Mudge, Mr. Putter and Tabby and High-Rise Private Eyes. Arthur Howard created the lively illustrations for all the Mr. Putter & Tabby books and has written and illustrated several picture books of his own. He lives in New York City.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Gooseberry Park, Volume 1; Gooseberry Park, Cynthia Rylant
• Author: Cynthia Rylant
• Illustrated by: Arthur Howard
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007
• ISBN: 0152061592, 9780152061593
• Length: 133 pages
• Subjects: Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Baby Animals; Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Dogs; Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Foxes; Juvenile Fiction / Animals / General; Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Nocturnal; Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Pets; Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Squirrels; Juvenile Fiction / Family / New Baby; Juvenile Fiction / Fantasy & Magic; Juvenile Fiction / General; Juvenile Fiction / Girls & Women; Juvenile Fiction / Humorous Stories; Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Friendship