Annie and Snowball and the Dress-up Birthday

Annie and Snowball #1

by Cynthia Rylant, Suçie Stevenson (Illustrator)

Annie and her pet bunny, Snowball, love living next door to Annie's favorite cousin, Henry and his dog, Mudge. Whether it's playing Frisbee or watching old movies, there's no shortage of fun to be had when these four are together.

Annie's birthday is coming up, and she can't wait to invite Henry and Mudge over for a dress-up party. But when the guests arrive, it's Annie who gets the big surprise!

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Fiction, Animals, 1st Grade, Kids, Humor

40 pages, Hardcover

First published April 24, 2007

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

[Kathryn]

So cute! I love Rylant's Henry and Mudge: The First Book series and I guess you could say this is the "girl version" of that series as here we feature Annie and her cute white bunny, Snowball. But, it turns out Annie is Henry's cousin and they live next door to one another, so we still get some Henry and Mudge here, too.

Annie is a girl after my own heart; she loves to dress up and have an elegant birthday party, she gets a tea cup for her birthday, and she lives in a very sweet yellow house with a pretty flower garden. Awww! ;-) She's also a good sport when there is a bit of a mix-up about an aspect of her birthday party.

I think I would have loved this as a kid; it would be a great book for October birthdays. If my animal-loving, October-birthday sister Annie were still a kid, I'd get this for her ;-)

[Heidi Burkhart]

This series is adorable. Thank you, Cynthia Rylant for your wonderful books!

[Ann]

Annie's going to have a birthday, and she wants everyone to dress up! Her, her dad, her best friend and their dog and even Annie's bunny! But, Annie fails to mention what *type* of dress up she means... Will her party soar or suffer because of it?

I kept reading thinking, "I really shouldn't love this so much - but I do!" There's something incredibly sweet and endearing about this little book. There's a timeless feel, and it's overflowing with love and respect and kindness, without being annoyingly fake or sickly sweet. And somehow the author manages to convey all this with very few, simple words - quite an achievement!

Add all this to the absolutely adorable illustrations and I'll definitely going to look for more books in this series.

[Rosa Cline]

When Annie's birthday came around she wanted just her family at her party she wanted it to be a dress up party where she wore her prettiest dress, gloves, patton shoes etc and her daddy wear a tux. She was excited to have her cousin Henry and his mom and dad and dog Mudge to come as well. BUT Henry thought dress up meant costumes! So when Annie opened the door to see mummy, gypsy etc at her door they all had to laugh at the mix up. Was a fun book to read out loud to my adult special needs son.

[Christy]

Annie and her pet bunny, Snowball, love living next door to Annie's favorite cousin, Henry and his dog, Mudge. Whether it's playing Frisbee or watching old movies, there's no shortage of fun to be had when these four are together.
Annie's birthday is coming up, and she can't wait to invite Henry and Mudge over for a dress-up party. But when the guests arrive, it's Annie who gets the big surprise!

[Mosley]

Funny, entertaining and educational. A great book for learning to read.

[Alex]

I enjoyed this book because I like bunnies. I also enjoyed this book because I liked the part when it was Annie's birthday and Annie had a dress-up birthday for her birthday.

[Mellanie C]

Cute.

[Jean Marie]

I liked this story because I felt the author did a great job of representing family. Annie loved hanging out with her family as well as her cousin, and their pets. I also have a pet dog that I love, and its always great to connect to stories involving animals. No matter a reader's age, I think its always great to connect to any type of story especially involving animals. Children really connect to animal stories but I think adults do a lot of times as well.

I think this would be a great read aloud story for students to read to them about friendships. Even though Annie and Henry are cousins they have established such as great friendship at such a young age. They also respect each other in way that friends should and I think this story would be a great way to introduce that to students who are just starting school. A teacher can see how students interact with each other and be reading this story she can really establish the ground of treating other students with respect and kindness.

I think this would be a good independent reading for students in kindergarten and 1st grade who enjoy reading about different adventures. This story talks about an adventure Annie and Henry have together. Annie comes across as a character who is very happy and positive and takes life as it comes. I think it would be great for students to read about others who enjoy life and the adventures that come with life. This would also be a good story for students who have a birthday coming up and can get excited and prepared for their big day just as Annie did!

This is a good transitional book for students. There words are simple and students can take their time reading the story and and can continue to feel more comfortable with reading. Many of these words can be words that students have read before and students can also continue to see the idea of a story having a beginning, middle, and end.

[Dawn]

Annie lives with her father and her pet rabbit, Snowball. Her cousins and best friends, Henry and Mudge, live next door, and they always get together and play. When it’s time for Annie’s birthday, she decides she wants to have a fancy dress-up party and plans to wear her nicest dress, tights, and shoes. When she tells Henry about the dress-up party, he misinterprets it as “costume party”, so he and his parents show up in various costumes. They all have a laugh about the mix-up and get on with the party, where they all have a wonderful time.

This is the first book in the Annie and Snowball series of easy readers by author, Cynthia Rylant, who has also written easy reader series Henry and Mudge, Mr. Putter and Tabby, Poppleton, and The High Rise Private Eyes. Annie and Snowball is aimed at the readers of Henry and Mudge, as Annie and Henry are neighbors and cousins, and the books have similar plots, formats, and illustrations (Suçie Stevenson illustrates both). They are also for those who would like a female protagonist, specifically a pink and sparkly female protagonist. However, as School Library Journal points out, there’s more to Annie than sparkles, “[with her] winning combination of sensitivity, deliberation, girly frills, and fun.”

[Ashley Steele]

Annie and her bunny rabbit snowball plan her fun-filled birthday party. She only wants her rabbit, father, uncle, aunt, cousin Henry and his dog Mudge to attend. Her cousin, Henry lives next door and they all love to play together. The day before her birthday she calls Henry and tells him to dress up for the party. Her birthday party has arrived; Annie is dressed in a beautiful ball-room dress, she puts big bows on her rabbit, and her dad wears a tux. When her family arrives; they are dressed in halloween costumes! Even though they didnt dress in the attire Annie was thinking she still had a wonderful birthday party!

Super cute book. I would recommend this book to a kindergarten student specially if they like girly things and dress up. I really liked the cartoon pictures, they were fun and brightly colored. I thought it was different that Annie didnt have a mom but then I read that the author did not have a mother either. I liked that the author kept Annie fun loving and happy, because some authors make the child character a little depressed or gloomy with out both parents. This was a fast but really cute read.

[Linda]

I was looking for a book to give my young niece for her birthday. I found the perfect book--Cynthia Rylant's book, Annie and Snowball and the Dress-Up Birthday. I knew that Rylant wrote the fun, Henry and Mudge books, but this series was new to me. In this particular book, Annie, her pet Snowball, and her dad are getting ready for her birthday party. What ensues is a fun story with wonderful and colorful illustrations! I really enjoyed it! I will have to check out other books for girls by this author!

[Kay]

My daughter adores the Henry and Mudge book series. We had come across the cousin Annie plots recently and I was pleased to find out that Annie and Snowball have their own series. This was the perfect length/difficulty for us to read together. I'll be seeking out more of this series since my daughter enjoyed this one so much.

[Katie Stow]

This book is about a little girl who is planning her birthday party. She wants everyone to dress up fancy, but her guests misunderstand her and dress up in costumes. They have a good time together anyway. I really like this book. Something that stood out to me was that Annie didn't have a mother. I think some children can relate to that and will appreciate it.

[Dolly]

This is another fun story by Cynthia Rylant, with a fun mix up during Annie's birthday party. Our girls enjoy all of Cynthia Rylant's books and they really like the Annie and Snowball series. We've read this one a few times.

[Melissa Sommer]

Annie and her pet bunny, Snowball, love living next door to Annie's favorite cousin. She invited Henry and Mudge over for a dress-up party for her party. I liked this book because it has a plot kids will be interested in. Also, beginning readers will enjoy the problem solving in this book.

[Libby]

We like Annie and Snowball almost as much as Henry and Mudge around our house, but this one has been a particular hit. Annie plans a "dress-up" birthday with her family, but her idea of dress-up and Henry's don't quite match up. The results are both fancy and crazy, and my kids laugh every time.

[Jessica]

Annie and Snowball live next door to Annie's cousin Henry and his boy dog, Mudge. When Annie decides to have a dress up birthday party and invite Henry's family over, there is some confusion as to what dressing up means. Very funny and cute story.

[Amy Brown]

Annie is Henry's cousin. She has a birthday party and tells everyone to dress up. While she dresses up in her fine clothes, everyone else dresses up in costumes.

[Nora]

MCL.

[Gail]

I'm surprised my four year old didn't request more readings of this. We'll probably cycle back on this series when she learns to read.

[Sheila]

A spin-off from the Henry and Mudge series, this was the first book I read in the Annie and Snowball series.

[Betsy]

Even though we love Henry and Mudge around here, my daughter has a fondness for pink, dressing up, and Annie and Snowball!

[Rhiannon]

I <3 pictures books!

[Terrah]

Violet LOVES this series.

[Cheryl]

A delightful tale of a misunderstanding about dress-up. Very respectful treatment of families made this even better. (Single parenting-dad). Definitely a keeper.

[Leiera Monae]

Children's Reading Adventures Book Club, Summer 2014

*D.E.A.R. Time -- Read with 7 year olds*

06.02.2014

[Kimberly]

A nice, wholesome, silly story.

[Danette]

7/27/16 Read with Naomi.
2/2/21 Julia read to Naomi and me

[Karen]

The text was pretty story, and the story telling was decent, but the illustrations just didn't draw me in to the book. I guess overly cartoonish really aren't my style.