When I Was Young in the Mountains

Author: Cynthia Rylant

Illustrator: Diane Goode

Published: In 1982 by Puffin Books

ISBN: 978-0140548754

Synopsis: 

    When I Was Young in the Mountains is the first book ever written by Cynthia Rylant.  It is written in the nostalgic voice of a female narrator as she reminisces about her childhood in the mountains and her relationship with that life.  The muted hues in the illustrations and the repetition of the first line, "when I was young in the mountains" synthesize together to create a believable snap shot of what rural life in the mountains was like.  It captures the whimsical nature of work and play after they blend together becoming indistinguishable, as often happens during childhood.

My Reaction: 

      I love the illustrations in this book because I feel they really capture the essence of the mountains.  From the muted hues chosen by the illustrator I can almost smell the forest and feel the chill in the autumn air.  The lack of boarders around the illustrations makes them appear less defined and therefore really feel like memories --memories that begin to fade as you move farther away from their focal point.  The repetition of the first line also recreates the rhythmic nature of the people's daily lives during the time of this story.  Furthermore, the insights the narrator provides into mountain life help readers visualize this different lifestyle.  For these two reasons, I think When I Was Young in the Mountains is a useful book to introduce children to rural mountain life.  It provides opportunities for a parent or teacher to have the students compare and contrast their own lives to the life of the child in the story.  A good place to start comparing is to ask students to think about the steps they use to take a bath and compare them to the steps the girl and her brother go through to take a bath.  You could extend this idea by having students write their own story in relationship to a place that draws on Cynthia Rylant's style; students could imitate her style by using her first line "When I was young in the ____" and filling in the blank with a place that has special significance to them. Overall this is a charming story that I feel could be a useful tool in the classroom.

 

My Rating (1-5 stars):

 

Still Curious:

Do you know what kind of bird this is?

 

It's a Bobwhite Quail, the same bird that the narrator of When I Was Young in the Mountains describes hearing whistle in the mountains.  Do you want to hear what a Bobwhite's whistle actually sounds like?  If you do check out the link below: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEKIAteCDYU