Perfect Picture Book Friday: The Relatives Came

Author: Cynthia Rylant

Illustrator: Stephen Gammell

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc. 1985

Genre: Fiction

Audience: Ages 3 and up

Theme: Family

Opening Sentence: “It was in the summer of the year when the relatives came.”

Synopsis: When the relatives come for a long visit, they bring carloads of food and armloads of hugs. It is a perfect reunion, where everyone eats, sleeps, plays and laughs together, forming deep, lasting bonds.

Of the thousands of books I’ve read to my five kids (over what seemed like a thousand years of bedtime stories) this was one of our all-time favorites. Cynthia Rylant’s words are spare and elegant, yet rich with imagery.  Stephen Gammell’s illustrations are downright hilarious, especially the spread that includes the many family members snoring and sleeping all over each other with the words, “It was different, going to sleep with all that new breathing in the house.” My kids could totally relate. My husband and I both come from insanely large families. Hence, any family gathering in our small house resulted in mass sleepovers, the likes of which are depicted on those two pages. My kids were always quick to point out the quirky resemblances to their own army of relatives. What sweet memories they have of all those nights with all that new breathing in our house.

I hope The Relatives Came brings as many smiles to your family as it did to mine.  Thank you, Cynthia Rylant and Stephen Gammell, for creating such a timeless, tender, perfect picture book.

Classroom Links/Activities:

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/relatives-came-family-read-along

http://www.liveoakmedia.com/client/guides/23240.pdf

For more perfect picture books, check out Susanna Leonard Hill’s fabulous list of recommended books here:

http://susannahill.blogspot.com/p/perfect-picture-books.html