Puppy Mudge Loves His Blanket: Ready-to-Read Pre-Level 1

Puppy Mudge

by Cynthia Rylant, Suçie Stevenson, Isidre Monés (Illustrator)

Welcome Mudge!
Mudge is Henry's puppy, a puppy who loves his blanket. Mudge brings his blanket everywhere.
But when the blanket gets lost, it's up to Henry to find it...or Mudge might never go to sleep!

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Dogs, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2004

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

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

ATOS 0.7

[Rochelle Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mudge is cuter and more interesting than Pete the Cat books. As Mom to boys, I know the boy-dog relationship is important. It's a good one for them to practice reading. For beginning readers.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy and feels like a real story in spite of the simplicity of the text. Highly recommended for beginning readers age 4-7.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm an unabashed fan of Henry and Mudge. This book is no exception.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is cute and very simple.

[Elizabeth Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of the puppy mudge books are excellent books for children who are just beginning to learn to read. Puppy mudge loves his blanket is effective in helping very young children to read because it has large font, short and simple sentences, simple and not too detailed illustrations on a white background, and a very easy plot to understand. I remember reading a book very similar to this book as a child called Biscuit. It is int he same format. Children can almost read the pages perfectly just by looking at the pictures and hearing it read to them a few times. However, books like this that are so obvious as to what the words say sometimes cause the child to memorize the words that were first read to them and recite them with each page. If an experienced reader is present with the child while they are reading this book, i think it would be affective if they cover up the pictures sometimes so that the child has to actually look at the words and know what they say. Overall, great book for early readers.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is below a 'level one' in the beginning reading section, meaning that it's for pre-readers. These are so good they make me want to write a love letter to Cynthia Rylant. Since I have a not-even-three-year-old who is already showing lots of interest in memorizing sight words (I think he's going to take after his mama and be an early reader), the controlled, repeated vocab in these is just perfect. Bonus, it's about a big puppy.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this out loud to my 4 year old granddaughter and she was able to repeat the words as I read them. Basic storybook but tells a nice story with just a few words per page. Ms Rylant takes the loveable Mudge and his boy and makes these books for beginning readers, as they advanced on to the chapter Mudge books.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple story for beginning readers about Mudge and his blanket. Our girls love all the books in the Henry and Mudge and Puppy Mudge series and we will be sad when we've finished them all.

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mudge loves his blanket. He takes it with him to lots of places...until one day it gets lost. Can Henry and Mudge find the special blanket?

Simple text. Large font. Illustrations support text and offer clues for unknown words. Great book for beginning readers.

[jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of Natalie's first books she read to us. She read this and a Biscuit book aloud to William while he was in the bath. Natalie might not love dogs, but she likes to read books about them to William.

[Chak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pre-level 1 book. Very cute.

[Beyond the Pages with Eva K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kid rated

[Bernice Seward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging story.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gift from Santa for the boys - Christmas 2016

[V]

Guided Reading Level E