Henry And Mudge in the Family Trees

Cynthia Rylant's fifteenth Henry and Mudge book sends the beloved pair to their first family reunion, and it does exactly what the series does best: takes a real childhood worry — will Mudge embarrass me in front of relatives I've never met? — and resolves it with gentle humour and genuine warmth. The answer, of course, is that love of big sloppy dogs runs in the family. Sucie Stevenson's illustrations capture both the chaos and the coziness perfectly. Kirkus Reviews called the series 'warm, loving, and gently philosophical,' and School Library Journal named this entry one of 'four sparkling winners.' The plot is thin by design, and at book fifteen there's little novelty for series veterans — but for an early reader, it's just right.