A timeless novel for all ages from Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant. Now repackaged with an updated look and feel. "This is a special book... it wil...
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reviews
Oct 16, 2009
Anna
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Goodness! I cried and cried while reading this book. It reminds me of The Lovely Bones By Alice Sebold and Hotel of the Saints By Ursula Hegi. It’s a lovely book for children to gently wonder about God and Heaven. The book talks about such things but doesn't try to be perfect and doesn't try to make sense of it all...which actually makes the most sense because we can never truly know about such things anyhow.
The Heavenly Village is the place where the deceased go when they aren't re More...
The Heavenly Village is the place where the deceased go when they aren't re More...
Aug 12, 2011
Ruth
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My all time favorite Rylant novel. So sparsely beautiful - each word is chosen with infinite care. The last story, "The Potter", reminds me so much of my son and what I wished for him when he entered heaven. I still can't read it without tears in my eyes. You see - God loves the young potter Thomas's pots so much that when he dies young in an accident, God asked Thomas to stay in the Heavenly Village for a time and visits him at night. "Thomas's favorite time to work has always be
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Nov 14, 2008
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer
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I just love this book! An old lady dies and doesn't want to go to heaven without her beloved cat. She finds that there's a village where you can wait for your loved ones to join you so that you can all go to heaven together. It's so sweet!
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Apr 08, 2009
Cathy
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Mistakenly categorized as a children's book, this beautiful collection of stories about the villagers of God's waystation confirms profound truths about life and afterlife that we all innately know. Told gently and with the comforting meter of a mother's lullaby, The Heavenly Village invites laughter and tears all while making the reader feel as lovingly enveloped as a swaddled child. Using plain and simple language, Rylant weaves a tale and creates a setting that readers will want to visit ti
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Apr 13, 2011
Cat
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I really liked this book. It talked about a place between earth and heaven for those who are not yet ready to completely leave their earthly life yet. This place is called Heavenly Village. Each chapter is an individuals story of why they are living in the heavenly village. Like the rescue dog who just wasnt quite yet ready so give up his job, and his owner, a little boy who goes where his dog goes. Some are not ready yet as they realize after death that they never really lived. My favourite sto
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Jan 18, 2009
Leanne
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A sweet collection of short stories that really belongs more on the New Age spirituality shelf than the children's novels section. WHich is probably why I found the hardcover for 25 cents at a used book library sale. But I really enjoyed it. Very sweet with some simple, worthwhile messages.
Feb 05, 2008
Kirsten
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The idea behind this book is that there are some people who, when they die, just aren't ready to head into Heaven proper -- they're still attached to life on earth. For these people, God has created the Heavenly Village, which is a pleasant stopping place on the way. The book tells the stories of several of these people, some of whose lives intersect in interesting ways.
Although I'm not really a Christian, I tend to really like Rylant's writings, which describe a God most people woul More...
Although I'm not really a Christian, I tend to really like Rylant's writings, which describe a God most people woul More...
Nov 30, 2011
Kayla
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I read this book in the 3rd grade for the first time. And it was one of those books that has stuck with me. It's beautifully written, and I've been meaning to download it to my Kindle so I can read it once more.
Mar 27, 2011
Courtney
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Though I haven't read this book in years, I vividly remember picking it up in my school library when I was nine and reading it and thinking that it was one of the most magical and most beautiful books I have ever read.
Jan 02, 2011
Cindy
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I can't really imagine putting this in the hand of a child, but I wish I'd had it when I was reading my babies bedtime stories. Rylant's heaven is a beautiful place.
May 09, 2009
Kristin
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The stories in this book made me cry! They are sad in a touching sort of way. I'm not sure if I would put it in my classroom though (you never know these days!) because it's all about God allowing people who aren't ready to go to heaven. They stop in the Heavenly Village on the way up.
Jan 03, 2012
Ann
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Rylant is amazing!! I read this book in one sitting. Warning: have a box of tissues handy!!
Aug 31, 2010
The book Heavenly Village was a good book.It's calming.And it talked alot about what God.
Oct 18, 2009
Terri
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A dear friend of mine gave me this book some time after the funeral of my best friend.
Sep 12, 2010
Bella9Tink
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This is an absolutely comforting book. It can make your feel lighter and happy.
Apr 04, 2010
Cjvswimming
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A touching story about what life is like in the heavenly village before heaven.
Jul 31, 2011
Mary Elizabeth
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I loved this book from the first word to the last. Inspiring and heartwarming!! Rylant is an amazing author.
Oct 07, 2011
Indie
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I really liked this book. It is my favorite book that I have read for the past few years. I highly recommend this book to all readers.
Jul 14, 2009
Deva
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this book was soo cool, that there is a place between heaven and earth. it was very good.
Feb 15, 2009
Caroline
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Sweet, dear - seems like I was taking heavy drugs from one surgery or another when I read this one, though.
Apr 13, 2009
Tizzy
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Cynthia Rylant envisions a God who loves all his children, even those who ignore him, the sinners, the social outcasts, the animals. God has a sense of humor, a sense of adventure, a sense of hope. This title posits a place after death but before heaven, a place for those who aren't quite ready to die. But it is not a purgatory. It is another chance to live. Very thought-provoking.
Feb 20, 2011
Daria
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This is the book to share with a friend after they've lost a loved one. It is a gentle vision of what the heavenly village might be like...rendered with the rich and easy manner familiar in all of Rylant's works.
Sep 25, 2011
Megan D.
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I LOVE this book about a picturesque village God created as a "halfway house" for souls not ready to go to Heaven. This is a book of short stories about the residents of that village. Such good stories! Catagorized as juvenile fiction, this is nevertheless a book anyone can enjoy. (And adults will probably appreciate it more.)
Dec 13, 2007
elissa
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My older son and I read this together the year that my grandma died, and it was comforting for both of us. He was 6 at the time. Takes it a step beyond the "dead narrator" YA novels.
