Kindergarten-Grade 3 The title of Rylant's exuberant tale isan understatement, for when "those relatives" came, they came enmasse and they came for an extended stay. Their anticipation atseeing kin during their long, long drive and finally hugging them"against their wrinkled Virginia clothes" set the tone for thiswelcome family reunion, a visit that never wears thin. Therelatives are depicted as a support system to help a fatherlessfamily with all the things that need to be done in and around theirhouse. In down-to-earth language that harbors strong emotion,Rylant recounts the festive celebration of the relatives' stayandthe ensuing sadness when they depart. The relatives in question area large rural brood, depicted, in Gammell's joyous color pencildrawings, as running the gamut from porcine to scrawny, old toyoung and rowdy to silent. In pictures of this group hugging,eating and sleeping, the unspoken closeness of the unnamedrelatives can be felt. These softly colored pictures, which capturethe spirit of the brief text, are large enough for sharing ingroupsa use of this warm book that seems particularly appropriate.David Gale, "School Library Journal"