I liked this book, but it there really was no real meaning behind the book for me personally. I know it was a biography of her life, but it was to vague and bland. She was just explaining her day to day activities. She talks about how she loves her family and her animals so much and how they mean so much to her. Her family and animals are major parts of her writings; she includes them in almost everyone of her books. She had always wished for a nice home, people, and pets who love her. At the end of the book, she mentions she has all of these things and she says "I'm home." I think the end makes the author look so humble and loving. She is this great writer, but she does not show off as on. She keeps her pride to the side and actually pays attention to what means the most in life. ( )

Best Wishes is an inspiring book about Ms. Rylant, a writer for children and Young Adults. Ms. Rylant wrote about her childhood and how she grew up in a coal-mining family, and because in her town there was no library or bookstore, Ms, Rylant read in the form of comic books. The early exposure to comic books, her experiences in the coal-mining town, meeting neighbors, watching animals on the country roads, all these things served to support her imagination and inspire her writing. Ms. Rylant also wrote about her own son, Nate who inspired the Henry and Mudge the characters in series of books. She mentioned her life in a small town in Ohio, her lovely pet dogs and cats, and her quiet life which suits her as a unique writer. This book is not just an inspiring story of a talented writer; it is also one that rings so true and honest. ( )

While reading Best Wishes, Cynthia Rylant definitely showed me that wishes can come true. This book is about how she wished her life would be as a child versus how her life is now. Cynthia talks about her home, dogs, cats, and son and how grateful she is of having them. She also talks about why she became a writer. This book was a rather interesting biography of Cynthia Rylant. I'm rating this book as a three and a half because I enjoyed her light style of writing. I also enjoyed the pictures in the book because they were real photographs of the author. I would recommend this book to people who are curious about who Cynthia Rylant is. ( )

I dunno, I guess I just wished she'd've smiled more. Reading this does enable us to 'meet' her - but not to get to know her at all. ( )

Growing up from a poor coal mining family, Cynthia Rylant had big dreams. She wished for a pretty house, a faithful dog, cats, and a chance to do something important. Her something important was to become a writer. Many people doubted that she would be able to become a writer because there were no bookstores nor libraries where she lived, so she turned to comic books, animals, and roaming the town. She put all these things into her books and her wishes came true. Today, she lives in a small town in Ohio with her son, Nate, her faithful dogs, Martha Jane and Leia, and two cats. She spends her days reading and answering mail from children, taking the dogs for a walk, and writing. Readers get to look at the pictures of Rylant going about her everyday life. ( )