When I Was Young in the Mountains (1)

Rylant, C. (1982). When I was young in the mountains. New York: E.P. Dutton.

Cynthia Rylant.

As a native of Kentucky, I thoroughly enjoyed the story Cythania Rylant presents in her Caldecott Honor picture book When I was Young in the Mountains, a realistic fiction picture book based largely on Rylant's own childhood experiences (Rylant was raised in West Virginia). The book strongly expresses aspects of primitive mountain life, as depicted through first person point of view with such allusions as those to coal mining, baptisms, and johnny-houses. As indicated in the title, the setting of the mountains of the eastern US is absolutely integral to Rylant's story.

Book cover.

Although the book featured no evident central conflict, numerous small problems were mentioned in a form of episodic plot, almost as a collection of isolated memories. For instance, the first person narrator discussed such problematic instances as finding snakes in the yard, stomach problems after eating too much, and being cold after taking a bath--all problems that were quickly remedied, often on the same or following page. Typically, such problems were of the man vs. nature variety.

The characters were likewise simplistic, mostly flat, with even the main character--a young, nameless girl--remaining stable and without any majors changes or developments. However, those events that were described by the character revealed what was most important to her--her experiences with her family (which included her grandparents and brother) in the mountains during her youth. Discussion of such simplistic events reveal a potential theme of valuing one's background, particularly the people who are part of it.

Part of the expression of the character's memories is presented through numerous instances of imagery. In addition to the abundance of visual imagery (e.g., the character's grandfather would come home daily from the local coal mines covered in black dust), appeals to the other senses exist. For instance, the main character recalls shivering in front of the stove after a bath; visiting shopkeepers who "always smelled of sweet milk";  listening "to cows at dusk" and waking "to cowbells outside our windows"; and hearing "a bobwhite whistl[ing] in the forest. Bob-bob-bobwhite!". The author also makes use of repetition throughout the story with the repeated use of the line, "When I was young in the mountains...", and, at the end, "I never wanted...".

The main character with her
grandmother visiting the "johnny-house".

The presentation of the character's mountain experience is further enhanced by simple sentence structure that often includes dialect (johnny-house, swimming hole). The illustrations lend to the experience as they are drawn with colored pencils in a realistic manner with a folk/primitive feel depicted through soft, muted colors. Oftentimes, the illustrations help to convey the text's meaning, particularly with such words as johnny-house. 

With a peaceful, serene tone regarding the memories of the author's childhood depicted fictitiously, it is no surprise that When I was Young in the Mountains was a success as Rylant's first publication.