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Brownie & Pearl

Brownie & Pearl Go for a Spin

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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!

24 pages, Hardcover

First published February 21, 2012

6 people are currently reading
48 people want to read

About the author

Cynthia Rylant

381 books871 followers
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.

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5 stars
58 (21%)
4 stars
57 (20%)
3 stars
123 (44%)
2 stars
34 (12%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
552 reviews
June 9, 2022
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.
Profile Image for Jess.
2,633 reviews75 followers
October 3, 2017
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.
2 reviews
February 12, 2018
Nice big bold pictures and colours with short simple sentences. Great for my baby.
Profile Image for Kaitlyn.
11 reviews
April 11, 2019
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!
Profile Image for Gracie.
45 reviews
May 4, 2020
Brownie and Pearl deliver peoples' mail for them. They have fun while they do stuff and its really cute!
Profile Image for Barbara.
227 reviews2 followers
January 28, 2023
An easy read for my 5 year old emergent reader.
Profile Image for Michelle.
3,881 reviews34 followers
August 11, 2023
My 6 year old daughter was almost able to read this book all by herself!
Profile Image for Alice.
5,436 reviews1 follower
January 11, 2026
3 stars
Brownie has a little care for both herself and Pearl. They drive around the block, get the mail, and have a sanck.
Profile Image for Meredith.
4,352 reviews75 followers
July 29, 2013
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.
Profile Image for Alice.
4,307 reviews37 followers
October 5, 2013
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!
Profile Image for Marcie.
3,924 reviews
March 24, 2012
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"?
Profile Image for Jean Odom.
34 reviews1 follower
June 2, 2016
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.
Profile Image for E.A..
Author 3 books10 followers
April 25, 2012
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.
Profile Image for Robin.
2,278 reviews2 followers
April 30, 2012
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.
Profile Image for Kayla.
540 reviews13 followers
March 7, 2012
Not as good as the previous Brownie & Pearl books. When we reached the end my son asked, "Is that it?"
Profile Image for Annie.
474 reviews54 followers
April 13, 2012
A disappointing entry in this series.
Profile Image for Beverly.
6,186 reviews4 followers
May 2, 2012
this whole series is some of the cutest toddler/preschool books around
Profile Image for Nicole.
1,130 reviews11 followers
May 18, 2012
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.
Profile Image for Teacher..
100 reviews12 followers
October 23, 2012
Super cute illustrations. I also like the names Brownie and Pearl, but the story really wasn't engaging even for a short picture book.
157 reviews1 follower
December 20, 2018
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!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews