EVERY LIVING THING

by Cynthia Rylant ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1985

A collection of simple, elegantly crafted stories about people whose lives are touched by an animal--household pets, a stray puppy, a nesting robin--and how these people are changed and enriched by the experience. Rylant has attracted attention and acclaim with her earlier works, including A Blue-Eyed Daisy and When I Was Young in the Mountains. She has written picture books, poetry and a novel, and now displays her considerable talent in a new form--short stories. There are 12 in all, some just a few pages long. In ""Shells,"" a boy whose parents have been killed finds a way, through his pet hermit crab, to show his aunt that he loves her; in ""Papa's Parrot,"" another boy who has stopped visiting his father's store learns through the store's parrot how much his father misses him; in ""Drying Out,"" a man who drinks too much gets back on his feet with the aid of three squirrels he feeds from his hospital window. The emotions these stories convey are not simplistic or treacly, but instead are direct and powerful, an impressive feat. Rylant has another winner on her hands.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1985

ISBN: 0689712634

Page Count: -

Publisher: Bradbury

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1985

Categories: FICTION