Reading Cynthia Rylant’s Henry and Mudge series feels like flipping through a photo album. Nearly all the memories are happy scenes, the highlights of a young boy thriving in a safe environment. Henry has a very big dog named Mudge. Mudge is a loyal companion. Henry has a father who takes them to the beach, splashes in rain puddles, and plays games during a thunderstorm. Henry’s mother makes an occasional cameo. Maybe she’s taking the photos. Friends appear for party games; it’s Mudge that ponders daily life with Henry. Most of us who own dogs can relate. According to Blue Line Dogs, “Science is starting to suggest that talking to your dog as if they’re a real conversation partner isn’t just adorable, it’s actually good for both of you.” (1)
Cynthia Rylant’s rhythmic prose, sprinkled with humor and surprise, keeps the stories engaging.There’s a delightful interview with her at the Voices of West Virginia website. (2)
I own seventeen of the Henry and Mudge books, all from library sales. With copyright dates from 1987 to 2006, they remind me of a time before screens. Yes, television and movies beckoned back then. But screen time has increased exponentially. Rose Horowitz recently wrote, “The decline in reading cuts across age groups, gender, and education levels. . .only 2 percent (of American adults) read to a child on a given day.” (3)
I suppose libraries purge Henry and Mudge stories because new titles take their place. But Henry and his pal will remain in my library, ready for younger generations to borrow.
(1) Fitschen, Jen. “Why You Should Start Talking to Your Dog Like a Person.” Blue Line Dogs, 16 Jan. 2026, bluelinedogsla.com/digging-for-info%3F/f/why-you-should-start-talking-to-your-dog-like-a-person.
(2) Cynthia Rylant. Voices of West Virginia. https://www.voicesofwv.org/cynthiarylant
(3) Horowitz, R. (2026, August). The Age of Reading is Over: Can Civilization Survive the Postliterate Era? Atlantic, 338(2), 12-22, 24.
Books Too 
Leave a comment