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Henry and Mudge #27
Henry and Mudge and the Tumbling Trip
When Henry's mom and dad start looking through a book about the Wild West it means VACATION TIME FOR HENRY AND MUDGE. A journey awaits, full of cowboy hats and boots, cactus plants and canyons, and all the tumbleweeds that Mudge can chase...
Will Mudge ever want to come home?
Join the car trip as Henry discovers that sometimes the best adventures in the wide world are the ones on your own front porch.
Since its creation in 1987, the Henry and Mudge series has grown into one of the most beloved and acclaimed beginning-reading series ever. With more than two million copies sold, the American Library Association, the Library of Congress, Parents' Choice, The Horn Book Magazine , the International Reading Association, the American Bookseller Association, and most importantly, the thousands of children who belong to the Henry and Mudge fan club have recommended these wonderful books.
Created by renowned Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant and acclaimed illustrator Sucie Stevenson, the Henry and Mudge series is without a doubt a classic for all time.
Ready-to-Read books offer children a world of possibilities at four different reading
Pre-level 1: Recognizing Words
• Word repetition
• Familiar words and phrases
• Simple sentences
Level 1: Starting to Read
• Simple stories
• Increased vocabulary
• Longer sentences
Level 2: Reading Independently
• More-complex stories
• Varied sentence structure
• Paragraphs and short chapters
Level 3: Reading Proficiently
• Rich vocabulary
• More-challenging stories
• Longer chapters
Will Mudge ever want to come home?
Join the car trip as Henry discovers that sometimes the best adventures in the wide world are the ones on your own front porch.
Since its creation in 1987, the Henry and Mudge series has grown into one of the most beloved and acclaimed beginning-reading series ever. With more than two million copies sold, the American Library Association, the Library of Congress, Parents' Choice, The Horn Book Magazine , the International Reading Association, the American Bookseller Association, and most importantly, the thousands of children who belong to the Henry and Mudge fan club have recommended these wonderful books.
Created by renowned Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant and acclaimed illustrator Sucie Stevenson, the Henry and Mudge series is without a doubt a classic for all time.
Ready-to-Read books offer children a world of possibilities at four different reading
Pre-level 1: Recognizing Words
• Word repetition
• Familiar words and phrases
• Simple sentences
Level 1: Starting to Read
• Simple stories
• Increased vocabulary
• Longer sentences
Level 2: Reading Independently
• More-complex stories
• Varied sentence structure
• Paragraphs and short chapters
Level 3: Reading Proficiently
• Rich vocabulary
• More-challenging stories
• Longer chapters
40 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Cynthia Rylant
380 books869 followersCynthia 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.
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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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 20, 2022
Julianna and I took turns reading the 1st half of the book & then I read the rest of it. It is a little long for her to read in one sitting but she and I enjoyed this book. She gave it 5 stars. She liked it because they went on vacation and she is happy today is last day of summer camp even though she enjoyed camp. She likes vacations and seeing new things so this book was cute because was about a family and a boy and his dog going on vacation to see the Old West. Cute pictures and new series for us to try.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2011
Tate says, "It was impressive that Henry and Mudge caught 42 tumbleweeds!"
May 27, 2017
Henry and Mudge books are great! Especially if your child enjoys dogs. This is one of the better ones (although we've read just about all of them thus far and they are all good) this one we giggled and smiled through it all. Henry and his family go on a trip to "The West" Where everyone is taller (because of the boots) and every thing is bigger "Mudge size" They get to chase tumbleweeds that the wind throws for them! What fun! But as much fun that they have fun on vacation they enjoy getting back home to have fun with all their own things.
June 3, 2025
Huge hit with my 2-year-old daughter.
So Henry's family lives east of "the West" within a few hours drive of the sea (and across the street from a famous actor's daughter).
I find it interesting that this was published as recently as 2005, because Henry entertains himself with comic books instead of a smartphone and Henry (age 8?) is never illustrated in a car seat. I like Henry's childhood better than today's.
So Henry's family lives east of "the West" within a few hours drive of the sea (and across the street from a famous actor's daughter).
I find it interesting that this was published as recently as 2005, because Henry entertains himself with comic books instead of a smartphone and Henry (age 8?) is never illustrated in a car seat. I like Henry's childhood better than today's.
September 26, 2017
I read this book for my college class as an easy chapter book. This book is great when explaining what everyone pictures the "West" as. It also teaches kids that its great to want to explore the world and see and do new things.
September 19, 2018
In this book, Henry and his family plan on going on a trip to Wild West. They see tumbleweeds on the way to the Wild West and when they get there Henry and Mudge chase tumbleweeds around. They also created a huge mountain of tumbleweeds.
July 13, 2017
7/13/17 Read with Julia & Elena
November 23, 2020
I’m not a fan of the author painting the west as a dirty place.
February 11, 2021
Henry and Mudge and Mom and Dad took a summer trip to the west. My favorite scene is when Mudge chases the tumbleweeds. He catches 42 of them!
December 18, 2021
Cute family trip story
Read
March 5, 2025Henry and Mudge rounding up a huge collection of tumbleweeds was endearing- good, clean, childish fun.
May 11, 2015
My son and I both thoroughly enjoyed every book in this series and were excited to find out what would happen as we started each one. Because my son was between 5-6 years old (he's an advanced reader) at the time, he easily identified with Henry and loved Mudge because (1) he desperately wanted a dog, and (2) Mudge's goofiness was endearing AND hilarious.
Read Aloud: Pre-K and Kindergarten
Introduces plot, character development, foreshadowing, and use of imagery.
Independent Reading: First or Second grade (6-7 years old). More complex sentence structure than "Mr. Putter Series" and slightly longer paragraphs. Short chapters (with clever titles), character development, humor, and an easy to follow plot will encourage all children to read.
Underlying themes of friendship, thoughtfulness, and responsibility are seamlessly weaved throughout the book. Although this is a fairly simple children's book, I found myself laughing out loud at the many adventures of Henry and Mudge.
HIGHLY Recommend!!
Read Aloud: Pre-K and Kindergarten
Introduces plot, character development, foreshadowing, and use of imagery.
Independent Reading: First or Second grade (6-7 years old). More complex sentence structure than "Mr. Putter Series" and slightly longer paragraphs. Short chapters (with clever titles), character development, humor, and an easy to follow plot will encourage all children to read.
Underlying themes of friendship, thoughtfulness, and responsibility are seamlessly weaved throughout the book. Although this is a fairly simple children's book, I found myself laughing out loud at the many adventures of Henry and Mudge.
HIGHLY Recommend!!
May 3, 2015
My 7 year old son recently borrowed this book from his school library.
This is book #27 in the series, but you do not have to read the books in order to understand what is going on. Each book could be stand alones.
In this installment, Henry, Mudge, and Henry's parents go on a vacation to The Wild West. They noticed along the way that the land got flatter and the skies got bigger. They stayed at The Cowboy Inn where the owner gave Henry a cowboy hat and gave Mudge a bandanna. Henry and Mudge spent lots of their time chasing and catching tumbleweeds. Before heading home, Henry got some souvenirs. The whole family had a wonderful trip, but were glad to be back home.
My son had very little issues reading the text and understanding the information. The text is large and the illustrations go along great with the text and are very colorful.
We will be reading more adventures of Henry and Mudge.
This is book #27 in the series, but you do not have to read the books in order to understand what is going on. Each book could be stand alones.
In this installment, Henry, Mudge, and Henry's parents go on a vacation to The Wild West. They noticed along the way that the land got flatter and the skies got bigger. They stayed at The Cowboy Inn where the owner gave Henry a cowboy hat and gave Mudge a bandanna. Henry and Mudge spent lots of their time chasing and catching tumbleweeds. Before heading home, Henry got some souvenirs. The whole family had a wonderful trip, but were glad to be back home.
My son had very little issues reading the text and understanding the information. The text is large and the illustrations go along great with the text and are very colorful.
We will be reading more adventures of Henry and Mudge.
November 12, 2013
A book my 6 yr old loved, a little old for my preschoolers. A solid reading level 4 book, this reader has a good amount of advanced vocabulary words, but not so long that it discourages a new reader. Used it for his read out loud book, which was perfect. It took about 20 mins for him to read and had just enough new vocabulary words to make it challenging. Also, it was a fun and interesting story he could get into. He liked it so much, he asked for more by this author. Great reading book!
September 24, 2009
This is a fun book in the "Henry and Mudge" series. Henry's family visits the Wild West and Henry and Mudge have a great time chasing tumbleweeds. Though there are several new and unfamiliar words, this is a great book for a beginning reader to read aloud with a parent. We've read this one a couple of times.
July 16, 2010
-travel, wild west, cowboys, friendship, family
-students could read with a pertner
-complete a vocabulary study of unfamiliar words (eg tumbleweed)
-study the wild west and cowboys, research what cowboys really do
-research flora and fauna of the west
-geography lesson- map the western US, regions
-students could read with a pertner
-complete a vocabulary study of unfamiliar words (eg tumbleweed)
-study the wild west and cowboys, research what cowboys really do
-research flora and fauna of the west
-geography lesson- map the western US, regions
September 12, 2023
Henry and his family go on a road trip out west! I love when Mudge wags his tail. Mudge chases down tumble weeds. The family has fun and comes back home. I like the nice family road trip to a new place.
April 9, 2008
He can almost clean up his whole room, cuz he can clean up lots of tumbleweeds.
April 3, 2009
Another quick and easy Henry and Mudge book. Good for my 3.5 year old. He likes them but I can't imagine their going to be any kid's favorite. I would give them 3.5 stars if I could.
March 26, 2012
A trip. J. + E.
Read
April 29, 2016420L
May 20, 2014
Great sense of humor about Mudge.
June 17, 2014
Henry and Mudge go on a vacation to the west.
October 19, 2014
Short and sweet.
February 11, 2016
My son loves all the Henry and Mudge books. I love that the books in this series stand alone.
October 1, 2010
Logan: 5 stars.
Loved Henry and Mudge over the summer...
Loved Henry and Mudge over the summer...
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews