Cat Heaven

Marc Notes: ; God created Cat Heaven, with fields of sweet grass where cats can play, kitty-toys for them to enjoy, and angels to rub their noses and ears.. Brief Description: God created Cat Heaven, with fields of sweet grass where cats can play, kitty-toys for them to enjoy, and angels to rub their noses and ears. Biographical Note: As a child in West Virginia, Cynthia Rylant never dreamed of becoming a writer. In her free time, she devoured Archie comic books and paperback romances and enjoyed the outdoors. But after taking one college English class, she was, "hooked on great writing... I didn't know about this part of me until I went to college-didn't know I loved beautiful stories." And one night, inspired by the Southern writer James Agee, she sat down and wrote When I Was Young in the Mountains. Named a Caldecott Honor Book and an ALA Notable Book, it was an instant success. Since that night, Rylant hasn't stopped creating wonderful books. Her stories explore friendship, love, grief, and other mysteries, and often draw on her memories of growing up in Appalachia. "I get a lot of personal gratification thinking of those people who don't get any attention in the world and making them really valuable in my fiction-making them absolutely shine with their beauty." She lives with her many pets in the Pacific Northwest. Publisher Marketing:"The way to Cat Heaven is a field of sweet grass, where crickets and butterflies play!" With a gentle, playful rhyme, Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant explores all the ways our beloved cats enjoy Cat Heaven, as she did for dogs in the bestselling companion book, DOG HEAVEN. Her shining artwork illustrates a world of peace for cats in Heaven, where no tree is too tall for exploring, where there is no lack of angels' laps for sleeping. If your child wonders where his or her kitty goes after a happy life on Earth, they can rest assured that all cats "know where the angel cats fly. They'll run past the stars and the moon and the sun . . . to curl up with God in the sky." Review Citations: Booklist 09/01/1997 pg. 135 (EAN 9780590100540, Hardcover) Kirkus Review - Children 07/01/1997 pg. 1035 (EAN 9780590100540, Hardcover) Publishers Weekly 06/16/1997 pg. 58 (EAN 9780590100540, Hardcover) School Library Journal 10/01/1997 pg. 108 (EAN 9780590100540, Hardcover) Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/1997 pg. 46 (EAN 9780590100540, Hardcover) Contributor Bio:  Rylant, Cynthia Cynthia Rylant's gift for conveying the enchantment and beauty to be found in everyday life is seen in such award-winning books as Missing May, winner of the Newbery Medal; A Fine White Dust, a Newbery Honor Book; and The Relatives Came and When I Was Young in the Mountains, both Caldecott Honor Books. Books she's written and illustrated include the much-beloved Dog Heaven and Cat Heaven. Cynthia Rylant grew up in West Virginia. She now lives in the Pacific Northwest.