Henry and Mudge in the Family Trees

Henry and Mudge #15

by Cynthia Rylant, Suçie Stevenson (Illustrator)

Henry and his dog Mudge are going to their first family reunion in this fifteenth Ready-to-Read book of their adventures.

Henry and Henry’s parents and Henry’s big dog Mudge are going to a family reunion at Cousin Annie’s house.

What will Henry’s relatives be like? What will they say? Will they love Mudge? Will they understand dog drool?

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Family, Fiction, Dogs, Friendship, Chapter Books

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

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

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

First sentence: One day Henry and Henry's big dog, Mudge, and Henry's parents were sitting on the porch when a letter came. The envelope said INVITATION. Henry loved invitations. Mudge loved them, too, because they usually meant cake.

Premise/plot: Henry and his family have been invited to the family reunion. It will be the first family reunion that Henry has attended. Or perhaps the first he can remember attending. Will he have fun meeting his extended family?

My thoughts: I liked this one. I am not as familiar with Henry and Mudge OR Annie and Snowball as I am Mr. Putter and Tabby. In fact, until reading this book I did not realize that Henry and Annie were cousins. I think my favorite part was seeing how much his family LOVED meeting Mudge.

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

1/26/19 Read with Julia

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorry, I just don't believe it's a responsible thing to do to have large families. I was one of three when that was about average, and even then we knew it was just too many... and even then my whole extended family would not have come close to being this large. Cute enough story though, for fans of the series.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because I like to climb trees. I also enjoyed this book because I like family day.

[Lee Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple and fun with some great artwork. 3/5 stars.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry and Mudge go to the family reunion. They like hanging around with Annie. Everyone likes giving kisses to Mudge. This is great because Henry was worried that he was getting the kisses.

[WinterBat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love all around for Henry and Mudge. Nice continuity with familiar faces from previous books.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the love this extended family shows. It would be a great book to read before going to a family reunion!

[Le Maistre Chat · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a sweet book.
Aunt Sally, Uncle Ed and Cousin Annie make second appearances.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Annie's house and yard.

[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!!

[Lisa Hartmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henry and Mudge in The Family Trees by Cynthis Rylant is a Theodor Seuss Geisel award winner. This is a nice contemporary realistic fiction story. The series is about a boy and his dog and all their adventures together. In this story, Henry and his dog Mudge are going to a family reunion. Henry is nervous when they first get there, he wants everyone to like his dog. Mudge is a big drooly dog. To Henry's surprise everyone loves Mudge. The day is filled with family fun and games. This is an easy read level 2. I think that children will enjoy the silliness and easiness of the story. The pictures are done with detail and nice color. The are simple soft pictures. I think that this stories are good for 7 and 8 year old's who are beginning to improve their reading skills. There are paragraphs and short chapters. The sentences are also short and to the point. I could see this being in classrooms and on home libraries!

[Aubrey White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hooray! Josiah read this whole book to ME! I had a migraine coming and told him I couldn't read to him anymore, that I needed to go lie down & wait for the medicine to work. Then, ten minutes later, he shows up with this book and tells me he can read it to me. So that's what we did. Thank you, Cynthia Rylant, for giving us a funny, readable, "chapter book" that had us giggling and grinning.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun book about family reunions. We've read most of the Henry and Mudge books and we are just finishing the series. Henry and his family attend a family reunion at Annie's house and much kissing and hugging ensues.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry and his family get an invitation to a family reunion at Cousin Annie's house. Everyone in the family loves Mudge. They have a day full of fun. I love that this book encourages big family get togethers.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

That I like Mudge much better than the rest of his family.

My last little human has found a series he likes.

[The Reading Countess · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first Henry and Mudge for Youngest tonight. There will be more...

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a good book

[Mackenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok

[Hillary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who can go wrong with a Henry and Mudge story? This particular one is about Henry and Mudge preparing for a family reunion and meeting all of their aunts and uncles and cousins.

[Erika Little]

2 copies

[Child960801]

Henry and Mudge go to a family reunion. Henry is nervous about meeting all of the people. Cousin Annie is in this one.

[Kaethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henry and Mudge get to meet a bunch of family. No one is killed and eaten.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book about family reunions and the importance of spending time together.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again my niece shared one of her school book buddy books. Great illustrations that go along with a wonderful story.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really like the Henry and Mudge books, but I don't quite love them like I do the Mr. Putter and Tabby books. Still, this one did have a delightful story.

[Christine Rains · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry and Mudge go to a family reunion. Henry is nervous and shy, but when all his relatives give sloppy kisses to Mudge, the fun begins. My six-year-old son loves this series.

[The Book Box]

Re-read August 2021: Mom and I took turns reading "chapters" in this book.

Read September 2020: Mom and I read this the other night. I love Mudge!

[Horace Mann Family Reading Challenge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry brings Mudge to a big party, everyone loves Mudge. J. C.