When I Was Young in the Mountains

Most lovely pictures and language

I am a student at a University in West Virginia and I am currently enrolled in a Children's Literature course. I was required to read this book and I am glad that the book was so beautiful. I have always lived in WEst Virginia and this book hit very close to home. I can recall taking walks through cow pastures, jumping in swimming holes, eating corn bread and pinto beans (which is still one of my favorite meals), relaxing on the porch swing at night and listening to the sounds of nature, and watching the stars shine over the mountains. One of my favorite parts of the story is the baptisim. I too was baptized in a swimming hole. This story describes West Virginia in all its beauty.

Cynthia Rylant's enduring favorite "When I Was Young in the Mountains" is the tale of her own childhood growing up in the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia. The gently repetitive text details her everyday life, from swimming in a swimming hole (even if there were snakes!) to taking a bath to drinking cocoa made by her grandmother. Each page starts off with, "When I was young in the mountains . . . " By the final page, we see that not only did Ms. Rylant appreciate her low-tech, memory-making childhood, but she wouldn't have traded it for anything.Diane Goode's softly colored illustrations beautifully dovetail with the text, whether she's showing a river baptism, a nighttime trip to the "johnny-house" after too much fried okra, or a stint at the water pump. It's a lovely ode to the simple life, and to being happy with what you have instead of worrying about what you don't have.

Reading this book was truly a joyous experience for me. I grew up in southern West Virginia and spent many days with my grandmother at her house out in the hills. Ms. Rylant's book reminded me so much of my own childhood! This book is beautifully written and illustrated, and brings to the reader a wonderful feeling of warmth and friendliness. Her descriptions are true-to-life, heartfelt, and easily understood by young children.

When I read this book for the first time, I couldn't help but remember stories my grandmother told me about her life in the hollars of West Virginia as a young girl. Although I did not grow up in this state, I've taught school here for 20 years. Believe it or not, much of this story is alive and well in West Virginia and that is a wonderful thing. Life is simple, family is important and good morals are still taught in these mountains and valleys. This book is an accurate depiction of life in rural Appalachia. I've given it as a gift to my nephews and nieces who live in other states and are not as "in touch" with their West Virginia heritage. The illustrations are beautiful and compliment the story wonderfully.

This is a children's book about a child's life in the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia. The child is living with her grandparents, the grandfather being a coal miner. The book is based on the author's own life and memories of her happy childhood. It shows what life was like for a child in that environment and children should enjoy it. The text is beautifully illustrated by Diane Goode and it became a 1983 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustrations in a book for children.