A Kitten in Gooseberry Park

Gooseberry Park #3

by Cynthia Rylant, Arthur Howard (Illustrations)

From Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant and illustrator Arthur Howard comes the third book in the beloved Gooseberry Park middle grade series.

Kona the Labrador and Gwendolyn the hermit crab love how much it’s been raining in Gooseberry Park. But the weather brings trouble to their home when a lost bobcat kitten is swept down from the mountain and away from his family. Murray the bat rescues the cub, but to bring him home, Kona and Murray will have to venture beyond the comfort and safety of their beloved park…and prepare themselves to say goodbye to their young new friend.

Genres: Childrens, Juvenile

112 pages, Hardcover

Published March 22, 2022

About the author

Cynthia Rylant is an American author, poet, and librarian whose deeply felt books for children and young adults have made her one of the most beloved voices in contemporary literature. Writing across picture books, novels, short stories, nonfiction, and poetry, she has published more than one hundred works, many of them rooted in memory, family, solitude, and the emotional landscapes of ordinary life. Her fiction often draws from her upbringing in West Virginia and reflects the textures of Appalachian life with unusual tenderness and clarity.
Raised in modest circumstances, Rylant spent much of her childhood with her grandparents in a rural setting that later became central to her imagination as a writer. Those early years, marked by hardship as well as warmth, shaped the emotional honesty and quiet resilience that define her work. She later studied English and library science, and after working as a waitress, librarian, and teacher, she began publishing books inspired by the world she had known so intimately.
Among her most acclaimed works are Missing May, which received the Newbery Medal, and A Fine White Dust, a Newbery Honor Book. She also earned Caldecott Honors for When I Was Young in the Mountains and The Relatives Came. For younger readers, she became especially well known through the enduring Henry and Mudge series, as well as other popular books and series that combine gentleness, humor, and emotional depth.
Rylant's writing is distinguished by its compassion for lonely, searching, or overlooked characters, and by its reverence for animals, nature, and small human connections. Whether writing about grief, wonder, childhood, or belonging, she brings a lyrical simplicity that resonates across generations. Her books continue to offer comfort, recognition, and beauty to readers of all ages. She remains a singular literary presence in children's literature and beyond today.

Reviews

[Desiree Hagen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cynthia Rylant needs no vouching for! She can handle being a master of children’s literature all on her own. We loved hearing another tale of the animal lives of Gooseberry Park. Another wonderful delight was how intrigued my five year old was about some of the fun words used like Deluge, Jubilee, & Departure, as well as having a mom from Canada we were all affectionately amused by the Canadian geographical names for the geese!

A family friendly mystery/adventure!

[Elles_shelves · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Kitten in Gooseberry Park continues the adventures of Kona the Labrador, Gwendolyn the Hermit Crab, and Murray the Bat from the books Gooseberry Park and Gooseberry Park and the Master Plan. In this story, a bobcat kitten has fallen into a gully on the mountain and ended up in Gooseberry Park far from his mother.. The animals all work together to make sure that Kitten is reunited with his mother in the mountains.
This is such a cute story with adorable illustrations. It tells about the importance of teamwork and friendship. It also tells how sometimes goodbye is a wonderful ending and a wonderful beginning at the same time. This would be a great story to add to a classroom or home library.

[Sam Wernert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was okay. I liked that it talked about many things that students would be learning about in the classroom like different types of weather and the seasons. It also used lots of words that students may be unfamiliar with like crisis, extraordinary, and thrilled so students' vocabulary will definitely grow when reading this book. Students may seek extra support in decoding words and finding the meaning of these new words. I feel that students would like this book because of all the different animals in it. This book could be used as an independent reading book for some advanced readers or it could also be used as a class read-aloud (only reading 1 chapter at a time) alongside a science unit.

[Danica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, this whole series can really just be skipped. The first one was the best, but still had some bizarre ideas in it, the second contained enough worldly junk that I ended up skipping over parts (reading aloud to the kids) and throwing it away after finishing it, and the third was better but still not worth the time. We’ve really enjoyed other Rylant books, so this was a bummer.

[Karen Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another terrific book in the Gooseberry Park series.
Kindness and friendship of anthropomorphic animals speaking to one another. Some useful information, good vocabulary, and some problem solving. Kids would enjoy the adventure and get lots of gentle life lessons along the way.

[Ms. Arca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet little straightforward adventure with cute found family animal friendships, a sprinkle of jokes, a dash of life advice (‘I’m sorry you’re sad’) and nothing scary happy endings.

Perfect for young readers - want this series for my home library and kiddos too :)

[Faith DeLay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gooseberry Park is one of our family favorites for read aloud but this one wasn’t quite as good. There were also quite a few more characters whom I had to explain to the kids while reading because we forgot who was who.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this series! In this installment, Kona and friends meet Kitten, who is actually a bobcat baby. They try to find a way to get him back to his mother in the mountain. Humorous and heart warming.

[Michelle Halber]

In general fiction for children's, but a great set up from blue tape!

[Charlotte]

a sweet little story

[Angelika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kona, Gwen and Murray save bobcat kitten and return it to its mom in the mountains.

[Terra Frederick · Rating 5 out of 5]

The gang is back at it again with a rescue!!!

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute. Not as good as the original Gooseberry Park.