Brownie & Pearl Go for a Spin

Brownie & Pearl

by Cynthia Rylant, Brian Biggs (Illustrator)

Brownie & Pearl take to the streets!Brownie and Pearl have a new toy car! Join them as they cruise around the neighborhood, greeting neighbors, delivering the mail, and—yum!—sharing tasty carry-out snacks.

With their simple stories, bold, graphic illustrations, and pitch-perfect moments of humor, the books in Cynthia Rylant’s acclaimed Brownie & Pearl series are a wonderful choice for babies, emerging readers, and everyone in between!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Cats, Transport, Fiction, Juvenile

24 pages, Hardcover

First published February 21, 2012

About the author

Cynthia Rylant is an American author, poet, and librarian whose deeply felt books for children and young adults have made her one of the most beloved voices in contemporary literature. Writing across picture books, novels, short stories, nonfiction, and poetry, she has published more than one hundred works, many of them rooted in memory, family, solitude, and the emotional landscapes of ordinary life. Her fiction often draws from her upbringing in West Virginia and reflects the textures of Appalachian life with unusual tenderness and clarity.
Raised in modest circumstances, Rylant spent much of her childhood with her grandparents in a rural setting that later became central to her imagination as a writer. Those early years, marked by hardship as well as warmth, shaped the emotional honesty and quiet resilience that define her work. She later studied English and library science, and after working as a waitress, librarian, and teacher, she began publishing books inspired by the world she had known so intimately.
Among her most acclaimed works are Missing May, which received the Newbery Medal, and A Fine White Dust, a Newbery Honor Book. She also earned Caldecott Honors for When I Was Young in the Mountains and The Relatives Came. For younger readers, she became especially well known through the enduring Henry and Mudge series, as well as other popular books and series that combine gentleness, humor, and emotional depth.
Rylant's writing is distinguished by its compassion for lonely, searching, or overlooked characters, and by its reverence for animals, nature, and small human connections. Whether writing about grief, wonder, childhood, or belonging, she brings a lyrical simplicity that resonates across generations. Her books continue to offer comfort, recognition, and beauty to readers of all ages. She remains a singular literary presence in children's literature and beyond today.

Reviews

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to Julianna tonight. She had her 2st field trip today of all time in kindergarten to Old Westbury Gardens. She was tired so I read to her. She gives the book 5 stars. Cute, short, simple book.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

September 2017 - charming and short, and I'm a little surprised that these were published as picture books first and easy readers second, since Rylant is such a master of the easy reader.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice big bold pictures and colours with short simple sentences. Great for my baby.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brownie and Pearl are driving around the neighborhood delivering mail. Does the mail get to the right people? We may never know!

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaitlyn LOVES the bright pictures and simple stories about a little girl and her cat. Need to start buying this collection to own, because they're really cute and cheerful books!

[Gracie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brownie and Pearl deliver peoples' mail for them. They have fun while they do stuff and its really cute!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Brownie and Pearl books are absolute joy not only for a beginning reader but for readers of any age!

[Gabs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

An easy read for my 5 year old emergent reader.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 6 year old daughter was almost able to read this book all by herself!

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars
Brownie has a little care for both herself and Pearl. They drive around the block, get the mail, and have a sanck.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brownie (the little girl) and Pearl (her cat) drive their toy car to somebody's mailbox, get the mail, and then give the mail to somebody to whom it may or may not have belonged before returning home.

The Brownie & Pearl series in which the odd idiomatic phrases "get dolled up," "go for a spin," "grab a bite," "hit the hay," "make good," "see the sights," "step out," and "take a dip" are illustrated and explored is extremely cute and a hit with toddler girls. However, my husband and I find the lack of parental supervision is somewhat disturbing.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a kid, I would have loved to have my own little car. I was jeolous of the kids that had those battery powered car. And think, Brownie has one and it has room for her cat.

Great early reader for little girls. The pictures are absolutely adorable, the story is cute, and I think I love Brownie and Pearl. Brownie is a girly girl no doubt but she still is up for an adventure! Really liked this one!

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll have to see more in this series. This one is a problem because I'm not sure kids can relate to a mailbox and certainly not getting lots of mail. It is interesting that in the illustrations all the mail is postcards and letters. Do kids know what postcards are? Is the term take out synonymous with "fast food"?

[Jean Odom · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter has all of the Brownie and Pearl books. Although she is almost 10 now and has graduated to reading long novels, she still loves the beautiful pictures and sweet stories of the Brownie and Pearl series. We had many a wonderful story time before bed reading them and they are a treasured collection.

[E.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would recommend the Brownie & Pearl series to children 3-5, especially due to the short sentences and colorful images. As a series, children will enjoy the various short adventures of Brownie & Pearl.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as well written as the other Brownie & Pearl books, but still has very high appeal due to the excellent illustrations. The plot was disjointed and the "takeout" punchline required a lot of explaining.

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the previous Brownie & Pearl books. When we reached the end my son asked, "Is that it?"

[carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"When Brownie and her cat go for a spin in her car, neither one is ready for it to end."

Great for toddlers - simple sentences and concepts they can understand.

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disappointing entry in this series.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

this whole series is some of the cutest toddler/preschool books around

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

love this series!

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very simple picture book. Going for a spin in the car, picking up the mail, finishing with a picnic... Nice, bright illustrations that pair well with the simple text.

[Teacher. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cute illustrations. I also like the names Brownie and Pearl, but the story really wasn't engaging even for a short picture book.

[Jodie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read story about a girl and her cat.

[Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

We love the Brownie and Pearl books. I like some of the other stories better though. Fun pictures.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pre-Level 1, no rebus

[Jessica Nekuda · Rating 5 out of 5]

so cute

[Danette · Rating 2 out of 5]

11/14/17 Read with Naomi.
1/11/20 Read with Julia

[Eleanor W · Rating 5 out of 5]

great early reader! Holds the kiddos attention because of the great pictures to look and they can't wait to keep sounding out those words to see what happens to Brownie and her kitty Pearl!