When I Was Young in the Mountains-Cynthia Rylant

Rylant, C. (1982). When I was young in the mountains. New York: Dutton Children's Books.

"Later in the middle of the night, she walked through the grass with me to the johnny-house and held my hand in the dark.  I promised never to eat more than one serving of okra again" (Rylant, 1982).  Admit it...this is hysterical!  I've read this story a dozen times if I've read it once, and I'm excited to share my thoughts about it with you. 

OK, let me tell you (briefly) about where I was raised and you will understand why I chose this story.  I come from a small town in Southeastern Kentucky...you might even say I grew up in a "holler" (I'm proud of that "holler", too).  No, we didn't have a "johnny-house" and my mother didn't walk around barefoot and pregnant, but I've seen an outhouse before.  You can tell by reading When I Was Young in the Mountains that Cynthia Rylant is proud of her upbringing (she even dedicated the book to her grandparents).  As I read her words again, I'm taken back to "my mountains", and I'm a little saddened because I don't live there anymore. 

You probably want to know a little about the book I'm blogging on this morning.  In her story, Cynthia Rylant described her life in the mountains through words that are emotional, revealing a style suited for the type of book she had written.  She used sentences of varying complexity, which adds to the richness of the text.  Her words bring back memories of when I was young in the mountains, allowing me to make real-life connections to the story.  Diane Goode's detailed illustrations, coupled with Rylant's words, work together to tell a story about a little girl's life, making When I Was Young in the Mountains a great example of a picture book for young readers.

How could this story be used in the classroom (especially one not located in the mountains)?  Trust me...young readers love this story (even ones that didn't grow up in the mountains)!  I have read it aloud to my second graders, encouraging them to analyze how aspects of culture from the story compare to their own.  For example, I've often raised questions related to the setting (being that the setting from the story differs greatly from the setting most of my students know).  When I Was Young in the Mountains is also a great story to use when teaching inferencing (tough to teach, I know)!  Nearly every page offers an opportunity for students to infer using what they already know and clues from the story and illustrations. 

Example of a setting in the book...ask students to compare the store in the book to a store they visit often

Inferencing...ask students to infer how the little girl feels about her grandfather (based on illustration and story clues)

So, let me ask you...is there a place (maybe your hometown) where you felt content enough to spend all of your time, never wanting to go anywhere else?