Poppleton In Spring

Poppleton #5

by Cynthia Rylant, Mark Teague (Illustrations)

Poppleton the pig does some spring cleaning, tries to buy a bicycle, and stays up all night in a tent in his backyard

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Fiction, 1st Grade, Animals, Chapter Books, Kids

56 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1999

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

[Kimberly]

Awwww, these are so cute! Poppleton's reaction to the bike store is how I feel whenever I'm in a baby store. Too many choices and I want to run out screaming! :)

[Jane]

For some reason, Jesse loves books with pigs. I thought he might say that he was too old for this book when I started reading it to him, but listened the whole time and didn't say anything negative.

[Pinky]

Poppleton spring cleans his house, only to end up with more stuff than he gave away. Poppleton wants a bike, only to change his mind due to too many choices. Poppleton puts up a tent to enjoy the finer things in life.

[Petrichor]

Pleasant stories for beginning readers.

[Melissa]

We always laugh reading a Poppleton story

[Adrianne Rosal]

Always problems never any solutions.

[Lourdes]

2,5/5⭐️

[KaitandMaddie]

Maddie and I love these and we always read Cherry Sue with a strong southern accent.

[Trudy Pomerantz]

A pleasant read for preschoolers.

[J.]

AR Quiz No. 39820 EN Fiction
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: LG - BL: 2.5 - AR Pts: 0.5

[Julie Graham 47150]

Rylant writes about activities and problems that are relatable for most young children (riding a bike, being afraid of the dark, etc.). This chapter book series is perfect for emergent readers. My favorite chapter in this book is "Spring Cleaning." Poppleton cleans out some of his things he isn't using. He has a hard time parting with his beloved treasures so he asks his friend, Cherry Sue, to store them for him. When he takes his belongings up to Cherry Sue's attic, Poppleton finds some delightful items that Cherry Sue has been storing just a little too hard to resist. He ends up taking about as many things home from Cherry Sue's attic as he took over there to store. This chapter reminds me of my dear, sweet husband!

[The Brothers]

A fun series of stories about a pig doing spring cleaning, going out to buy a bike, and camping in his back yard. I especially liked how he went running screaming from the bike store when he was overwhelmed by all the choices. For example:

"Great," said Marsha (after Poppleton had finally picked out the bike he wanted). "What color?"
"Red," croaked Poppleton.
"What kind of red?" asked Marsha.
"Red red," croaked Poppleton.
"We have fifteen different kinds of red," said Marsha. "Let me show you."
"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!" screamed Poppleton.

Excellent illustrations.

[Sarah]

Poppleton is a series of short stories about a pig and his llama friend, Cherry Sue. No one does these short beginner stories quite like Cynthia Rylant! She is the master of "feel good" writing, and Mark Teague is a delightful combination with her storytelling. In three short stories, Poppleton does "spring cleaning" which really just turns out to be a trade with Cherry Sue, then tries to buy a bicycle but gets overwhelmed with the decision process, and finally goes camping and stays awake all night noticing the beautiful night world.

[FM Family]

Had never heard of this series before it was suggested on goodreads. These are great, very similar in a way to the Frog and Toad series in that they're about the mundane made interesting, and there's this character just being its essential self, which leads to some silliness, and everyone around them sort of rolls their eyes but loves them for it anyway. My two and a half year old has requested this every storytime since we got it out of the library so we'll definitely be taking out more poppleton books in the future

[Denise]

This is a level three beginning reader book intended to introduce children to inspiring and information-based stories. There are three stories with simple-to-follow plot lines all about the same character, Poppleton the pig. The reader will see a rather static character in Poppleton, but I think the lack of depth is appropriate for the intended reader. I think the stories are relatable to children, but I wouldn’t go so far as to consider it inspiring.

[Jaeger Matthias]

that poppleton in spring poppleton decided to sleep outside in a tent his friends thought he was silly

[Keeko]

I heard about this from the actress, Mary Louise Parker, when she was doing an TV interview. She said that she and her kids read the author's books together at bedtime. I was curious, so I checked it out, and I'm so glad I did because it's one of those children's books that really is written for kids, and the humor is so clever and sweet that adults will be pleasantly surprised and love Poppleton and his friends too.

[Alaina Sloo]

I have not yet met a young child who doesn't love Poppleton (although I'm sure there must be some somewhere). Sweet stories about Poppleton and his friends for early readers that also work well read aloud to younger children.

[Molly]

I enjoy poppleton (see my bias for anything by cynthia rylant! This was a fun funny read and poppleton does not let you down. Grades 1+

[Dayna]

I love Poppleton. He is so adorable. He reminds me in ways of Winnie-the-Pooh in his simple heartedness. I want to adopt him.

[Randy Lynn]

This is one of Emma Kate's and my favorite bedtime stories!

[Theresa]

an easy reading story

[Randie D. Camp, M.S.]

My son's homework last night, he read it FOUR times! Great vocabulary for early readers.

[Joe]

digable. cherry sue!

[Henry]

MCL. Poppleton did not get a bike.

[Elanor]

All by herself!

[Gabe]

cool

[Jonathan Chew]

Fun collection of stories introducing the world of Poppleton and his friends - kinda like Winnie the Pooh but with farm animals!

[Nora]

MCL. It was funny that he stayed up all night and then slept all day.