Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant illustrated by Sucie Stevenson

Easy Fiction Treasure

I love to hunt out very easy books for newly emergent readers which also contain very satisfying stories. I adore the writing of Cynthia Rylant and the series about Henry and his huge dog Mudge are just perfect. Here is the final page from the first book:

There are, I was amazed to discover, 28 books in this series.  You can even buy these books as a complete set.  If you purchase them this way they only cost $5 per book - what a bargain. Here you can listen to an audio sample from the first book.

Click the link below this illustration from Children's Book Almanac to read more about Cynthia.

Image source: Children's Books Almanac April 1st post.

Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas won the Theodore Geisel Award in 2006. This is an award that is well worth following because it celebrates excellent beginner books. The 2018 winner, for example, was Charlie and Mouse by Laurel Snyder.

All the books in this series have been culled from my former library. This makes me very sad. These books are a joy to read and should be part of every library collection for young children. Kirkus agree! You can read their reviews of seven titles from the series.

Warm, loving, and gently philosophical, these stories about an only child and his closest companion deserve a place in every library collection. Kirkus

I was certain there would be a toy Mudge - and yes I found him.

There is also an extra series about Mudge as a puppy.