Night in the Country

by Cynthia Rylant, Mary Szilagyi (Illustrator)

There is no night so dark, so black as night in the country. And while the people dream of daytime things, the nighttime world awakens. Owls swoop, a rabbit patters, and in the yard an apple falls -- pump! -- from the tree.
Listen. Go to the window. Across the field a light glows. Who else is up so late? Who else watches and hears the sights and sounds of night in the country -- the many stirrings of silence, the many colors of the dark?
Lyrical text and velvety pictures present a very different kind of a mysterious, moving night that will lull small children to sleep.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Summer, Poetry, Nature

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

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

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look at the country during nighttime. This was a nice peaceful read, quiet, soporific text talks you through gentle night happenings. I liked this story but the bright primary colours needed to be more muted at night, these bright colour grated and didn't ring true for nighttime when colours are washed out and disappear.

Read on open library.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of things go bump, and creak, and rattle in the night in the country. Rylant provides soothing explanations for all the noises, and the brilliantly colored illustrations by Mary Szilagyi are a cheery accompaniment. I loved how it is mentioned that during the day time, all of the night creatures have to listen to the noise you make.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book! Cynthia Rylant is one of my favorite authors, especially when it comes to nature and living in the natural world.

As a person who lived in the country for much of my life, I wholeheartedly agreed with her descriptions of night in the country [until the monster wind turbines changed everything :( Now the night is filled with the sounds of pump/swish and thousands of little red blinking lights. But I digress]. There is no night so dark, so black as night in the country. And there are only the sounds of things that are awake in the night - things like frogs, and owls, rabbits, racoons, and occasionally other people. It's so quiet you may even hear an apple fall from the tree - pump!

A perfect read-aloud, especially for children who live in the country and are familiar with these creatures of the night, the sounds of the night, the experience of living in the country. And children who do not live in the country will wish they too could be a part of a night in the country.

[Vanessa Peavy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever been to the country? Do you know what goes on at night as you sleep? Can you imagine such a quiet night? Well, come to the country where simplicity awaits. I just love Cynthia Rylant and her use of words. She does a great job at making you feel like you are in the story. At night life still goes on... the nighttime things are awake and living lives on their own. I will use this book in my class to teach lesson on, sensory details that are present throughout the whole book, visualization and compare and contrast country vs. city.

Grades: k-2

[Fibersian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has beautiful descriptive language. The words are lyrical. There is rhythm in the writing. So children will hear the beauty and rhythm in language. The word choice for describing a country night is specific so this has great vocabulary.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, I should love this. I've enjoyed others by Rylant, I was raised in the country and am back in farm country again, the pictures are pretty, the text is graceful... but something about it doesn't click for me. Those who love it are justified, but I have to be honest and rate it lower. Sorry.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book by Cynthia Rylant is thirty years old, a discovery and a good companion to other "night" books that have been published more recently. Here--http://www.flashlightworthybooks.com/... -- is a good list! In this book, Rylant introduces the animals that appear at night, and other sounds, like the creaks and groans of a house, and a screen door slamming far away. The illustrations show farm country and the animals doing what they do at night, until one bird tells them all that it's time for day. It's a sweet book, perhaps to use as a mentor of observations at different times, maybe at different places too.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written and illustrated book. Oh, how gorgeously the skills of Cynthia Rylant and Mary Szilagyi merge in this story, realistically portraying the deep, meaningful silences and the sudden, random noises that punctuate the clear and innocent country nights.
"Night in the Country" is a short but sweet read, particularly for anyone who has grown to love what it means to live in the country.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a simple, soothing tale that depicts the calming noises of the country nighttime. The narrative is very short and the illustrations have the muted colors of the night.

I would expect that this would be a good story to help children settle down for sleep. The lyrical flow of the words makes it a good book to read aloud and we really enjoyed reading this book together.

[Barb Middleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good if you are teaching descriptive writing and establishing a setting.

[Nick So'oto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Night In The Country is a book filled with amazing illustrations that show the detail of a night spent in the country. The book begins with explaining the sounds you would hear at night in the country. It then continues on to describe the animals, and their sounds. It starts off describing an owl, then a frog, then the rabbits and how they eat the apples that fall on the ground. All together the book gives you an insight of what you would hear if you spent one night in the country.

In my opinion this book was colorful, and had great illustrations. The illustrations were a water color type. The pictures actually set the mood for the book. The colors were very soft, and dark showing that the night is calm and quiet, but if you listen you can hear everything around you. Also, I liked the way the author chose to use onomatopoeia's to show what sounds the animals made. It really paints a picture in the readers mind of what it would sound like if he or he was sitting there listening.

I honestly can't see myself using this book in the classroom. But, if I were to use it, it would definitely be for an art class. I could show my students this style of art, and show the strokes of the brush that the illustrator made. I would then have them try to imitate the authors drawings, but the setting would have to be a night in the country.

[Papillon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was ready to love this book, but I can't. First, the good points. It has lovely illustrations that are dark and conducive to bedtime for youngsters. The story is written well and will make children slow down and think about nighttime sounds. Second and lastly, the negative point. It is so negative that it made my blood boil. There is one page where it reads, "Outside, the dog's chain clinks as he gets up for a drink of water." Ok, great. We even get to see the dog with his chain on his throat in the illustration. This is maddening. DOGS SHOULD NOT BE CHAINED. EVER. FOR ANY REASON. Frankly, my dears, I don't give a damn the circumstances.......NEVER.

This is why it gets only one star. No child should ever be given even a HINT that this is okay.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sweet story is so charming. I can use it in my First grade classroom related to so many themes, including writing mentor text (feelings, senses), science (nocturnal animals, day/night cycles), social studies (farm life/city life, parent and baby animals, apples) and so much more. The illustrations carry some of the load for the text. A beautiful book all the way around.

[Alix · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short realistic fiction piece doesn't have a traditional plot, but, rather describes the night in the country of the title. Great example of author's craft: using sensory details to paint a picture in the reader's mind, onomatopoeia, and bringing a piece of writing full circle to use a detail from the beginning to close the story.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read-Aloud Revival Recommendation for August Picture Books.

We've really been enjoying Cynthia Rylant's work. Happened to read this book after spending a week in Upstate New York; highly relevant to the idea of what happens during country nights.

[Mariah Everett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sweet little picture book is about all the sounds you'd hear on a rural farm in the evening and nighttime. The illustrations are beautiful and calming. Would make a great bedtime story book. I could see this generating interest in kids about nocturnal animals.

[DeNae · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was nice, but the illustrations were gorgeous.

[Alyssa Bloom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a good book to read to children before bed. Talking about the noises that will go on during the night. Then tell the noises that will occur in the morning.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about night time! And nocturnal animals!

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely picture book with beautiful illustrations and a simple story to read to kids.

[Anne Soderlund · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's so quiet at night in the country. All of the nocturnal noises.

[The Transmuted Tree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red 3rd

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a great bedtime story, especially if you are away from a big city and can hear the sounds of nature. It makes the unknown noises and sounds, much less scary.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

AR 2.8

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pictures were dreamy and soothing. The words were simple and slow. It is a nice book to add into the bedtime rotation for something different but not one we decided to read more than once.

[E & E’s Mama · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quiet, gentle book about nocturnal animals. Best for preschool and up

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

It didn't touch me.

[Jacquie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, simple book with nice illustrations.

[Scarlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved. Very interesting. Slow paced.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the wording