From: WMMayes at aol.com <WMMayes>
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 1998 23:02:59 EDT

I wish I could say I was a fan of Rylant's illustration. As a nearly slavish devotee of practically everything she has written, it pains me not to love her art, too. I find her Dog and Cat Heaven books very sweet and useful as therapy for those who have lost a beloved pet, but they do not sing to me the way THE RELATIVES CAME or SOMETHING PERMANENT do, and I think it is because I don't love the art.

Though our new book (see below) is about books, not authors, we felt strongly that there were a handful of authors whose work warranted a spotlight. Cynthia Rylant is one of them. Both Valerie and I think she is one of our most gifted writers and we continue to be amazed at her range. When can we talk about her novels and poetry?

Walter the Giant Storyteller Walter M. Mayes co-author of VALERIE AND WALTER'S BEST BOOK FOR CHILDREN: A LIVELY, OPINIONATED GUIDE, published by Avon Books WMMayes at aol.com 2261 Market Street #323 San Francisco, CA 94114 41534$49
Received on Thu 09 Jul 1998 10:02:59 PM CDT