Henry and Mudge and the Best Day of All

Henry and Mudge #14

by Cynthia Rylant

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. A series about an only child and his huge best friend, a mastiff named Mudge.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Animals, Chapter Books, Fiction, Dogs, Juvenile

40 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

An author of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for children and young adults as well as an author and author/illustrator of picture books for children, Cynthia Rylant is recognized as a gifted writer who has contributed memorably to several genres of juvenile literature. A prolific author who often bases her works on her own background, especially on her childhood in the West Virginia mountains, she is the creator of contemporary novels and historical fiction for young adults, middle-grade fiction and fantasy, lyrical prose poems, beginning readers, collections of short stories, volumes of poetry and verse, books of prayers and blessings, two autobiographies, and a biography of three well-known children's writers; several volumes of the author's fiction and picture books are published in series, including the popular "Henry and Mudge" easy readers about a small boy and his very large dog.

Rylant is perhaps most well known as a novelist. Characteristically, she portrays introspective, compassionate young people who live in rural settings or in small towns and who tend to be set apart from their peers.

from bookrags.com

Reviews

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really can't think of anyone who is better at writing for early readers moving from easy readers to chapter books than Cynthia Rylant. The Henry and Mudge series, as well as her other series, are consistently dependable in their appeal to this age group.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am giving this book 4 stars not because it was such a wonderful story on its own, but because it is a part of a series that I totally trust and value for early readers. When my young students enthusiastically, but maybe unrealistically, want to read chapter books, I always put one of Cynthia Rylant's book in their hands. They are satisfying to the readers and their teacher. I feel that Rylant has mastered the genre of the high interest, very short chapter books for young readers.

[Chloe Mathes · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Henry and Mudge and the Best Day of All" is by, Cynthia Rylant. The illustrations are by Sucie Stevenson. The book was published in 1995. This is a fun children's chapter/picture book for kids around 3rd-4th grade to read. It's fun for children to read because it's about a boy who has a good relationship with his dog Mudge and they're getting ready for Henry's birthday party!

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henry and Mudge spend and share the 1st of May with their family and friends and have the best day of all. Balloons, pictures, games, presents, a big blue pinata shaped like a donkey, ice cream, and cake.

[Allyson Goose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet, easy to read book about a boy, his birthday, and his dog. I just hope my kids don't get inspired by the book to give out goldfish as party favors at their next party! Glad there's a racially diverse group of kids at the party.

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

8/16/17 Read with Naomi & Julia.

[Adrianne Rosal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henry has a birthday party on May 1st. His friends come over for all the traditional stuff, plus they have a pinata.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cute book! "They were full of cake and ice cream. Some of them were full of crackers."
Cute!

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books as a kid. I recently found a copy at the thrift store and couldn't resist the childhood nostalgia of the series. It was still just as amazing and wonderful as I remembered. I didn't realize how big Mudge was next to Henry but it was amazing to read this again and enjoy the happy memories.

[Le Maistre Chat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henry's birthday. Sweet but rather unsubstantial.
I remember Henry having no friends and no neighbor children in The First Book, that being part of the reason he needed a dog. Here he does. I need to go back and find if they were introduced before this, showing character development, or if Mudge got Henry friends off-page.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book depicted a Hispanic birthday party. The Spanish vocabulary was pretty easy to understand from the context.

Este libro es sobre un cumpleanos Hispanico. El vocabulario espanol fue facil entender del contexto.

[The Book Box]

Mom and I read this before bed the other night.

[Emerson and Theodore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to read for your child’s birthday.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the few birthday books I keep around for when someone’s birthday is coming up. I like reading it to my son and getting him hyped up for a family member’s birthday or his own.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book highlights the joys of Henry's birthday party and day! The only thing that is a little dated is the drawing of the camera that the dad is using.

[WinterBat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming, warm and fuzzy, even if nothing much happens

[Shireen Hakim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Henry and Mudge and the very boring book.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Birthday joy! Recommended for the Logos Linrary for beginner readers.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite one of the series. It’s decent but talks about food a lot and doesn’t have much plot.

[Kayla Upchurch · Rating 3 out of 5]

not very catchy for my kids

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Birthday parties were the best when I was a kid.

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like I can always rely on Henry and Mudge books. They are so wholesome. I like the author's unusual attention to detail. (Ex. Cherry nut ice cream)

[Ilyen Marban · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henry's birthday comes around he has a birthday party with his friends and mudge.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Our favorite pals are back in this, the fourteenth book of the series. Whatever newest mini adventure they may be going on next, what keeps the Henry and Mudge books relevant after this many entries isn't the specifics of plot and action, but the steady, never-changing feeling that they will still be friends through anything that happens. Henry and his dog will come out on the other side as happy and close as they were on page one, and that's something you can count on no matter what. Those two sure know how to treat a valuable friendship.

It's May 1, and that means it's Henry's birthday! Mudge isn't terribly excited about Henry's promises of how wonderful the day's festivities are going to be, at least not until the words "cake" and "ice cream" are spoken. Then Mudge is just as enthusiastic as his best friend. There's a party with many other kids, hundreds of balloons tied all over the house—even in unexpected areas, such as the bathroom—outdoor games and prizes, presents, lots of good food... There's even a piñata for Henry to demolish, stuffed with a variety of candy and Mudge's favorite...crackers! How is a dog to be any happier than after learning it's not so crazy a dream to imagine his favorite food falling from the sky? There's fun to be had for all, until the guests are ready to go home full and greatly pleased with the events of the day.

But for the birthday boy, it's not just the cake, festivities and gifts that make his birthday the best day of all. It's sharing all these good things with his mom, his dad, and his best friend Mudge, and knowing they'll be together again tomorrow and every day after that; it's relaxing in the shade after the big party, resting comfortably with one other and dreaming of birthday wishes big and small. Henry and Mudge have a lot going for them on this "Best Day of All", and love is in no short supply in their family. It sure does make a birthday extra sweet when you celebrate it with the ones you care about most.

Cynthia Rylant writes with lovely perceptivity for such brief stories, sketching a small but affectionate family on days special and ordinary, all to the same effect. I love spending time with Henry and Mudge, and hope their stories go on spreading warmth and cheer for years to come. There's a good chance I would give two and a half stars to Henry and Mudge and the Best Day of All.

[Shelaine Lorenz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and colorful book full of birthday excitement! It had wonderful pictures and it was just a happy book to read. Perfect for young readers.

Trait: sentence fluency, word choice
Lex: 470L
ATOS: 2.6

[Cole Hudziak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book called (Henry and Mudge and the best day of all) and it was a great book. I read this book to my little cousin, Carter. He liked it when I read to him. He chose the book and I read it to him. Carter liked it a lot and he said I should read these books more often. Carter and I, thought it was a good children's book. Carter thinks that it was a great short story. It was a very amusing book to read and I liked it a lot. There are many other books in the series. I think Carter and I we are going to read them together.

This book was about a boy named Henry and his dog named Mudge. It was Henry's birthday and he woke up early. There was balloons everywhere of all sorts of colors. Henry's dad was taking lots of pictures and then they took a family photo. They ate breakfast then they were ready for the party. Henry invited many of his friends. They had games, a piñata, candy and lots of presents. Then Henry and his family sat in the shade and watched the sun set.

I recommend this book to the ages between 5-40 and any gender. I think that anybody can read it. It is also such a easy read so anybody can enjoy the book.

[Chantelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son and I both thoroughly enjoyed every book in this series and were excited to find out what would happen as we started each one. Because my son was between 5-6 years old (he's an advanced reader) at the time, he easily identified with Henry and loved Mudge because (1) he desperately wanted a dog, and (2) Mudge's goofiness was endearing AND hilarious.

Read Aloud: Pre-K and Kindergarten
Introduces plot, character development, foreshadowing, and use of imagery.

Independent Reading: First or Second grade (6-7 years old). More complex sentence structure than "Mr. Putter Series" and slightly longer paragraphs. Short chapters (with clever titles), character development, humor, and an easy to follow plot will encourage all children to read.

Underlying themes of friendship, thoughtfulness, and responsibility are seamlessly weaved throughout the book. Although this is a fairly simple children's book, I found myself laughing out loud at the many adventures of Henry and Mudge.

HIGHLY Recommend!!

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry and Mudge are best friends and this book shares the fun they have while celebrating Henry's birthday. There are tons of balloons, some potato sack races and a pinata which Henry gets to break. There are many more books in the series and they are some great stories about the relationship between a boy and his dog, they always look out for one another.

This book is appropriate for ages 5+

I recommend this book for beginning readers because there are few words on the pages and they are familiar to them, so kids won't have much trouble. I remember my brother reading tons of these as a kid and I always found myself following along.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's Henry's birthday and it's a day filled with fun and activities. Our girls love these books and we read every one we can get our hands on. This one wasn't my favorite - the story is good, but my oldest has a birthday coming up and I worry that she wishes I could put together a party like Henry had. I'm sure she'll love her birthday, even if it's not as fancy as what's in the story.