Her grandparents, extended family and kind local townspeople provided a nurturing, safe environment, while the little girl "waited ... until someone could return for me",[citation needed] but they were very poor and lived a rustic life, with no electricity, running water or automobiles.
However, her West Virginia childhood was the major influence on her works, and many of them deal with life in the Appalachian region.
degree from Marshall University in 1976, discovering and studying English literature and greatly enjoying her years in school.
[7] Unable to find a job in her field after completing college, she first worked as a waitress and later as a librarian at the Cabell County Public Library in Huntington, West Virginia, where she finally became acquainted with children's books.
Her marriage with Dolin ended in 1980,[7] and she earned a Master's degree in Library Science from Kent State University in 1981.
Her first poetry collection, Waiting to Waltz: A Childhood (1984), was also autobiographical, based on both happy and sad events or on people she knew, drawing universal emotions from the incisive portraits.
[7] Her first novel, A Blue-eyed Daisy (1985), describes a year in the life of a young girl, including such events as her first kiss and the funeral of a classmate, and her relationship with her father, who, like Rylant's real-life grandfather, is injured in an accident and loses his job.
This young adult novel portrays a boy who becomes a disciple to a charismatic preacher, leaving his parents and friends.
When the preacher runs off with a young woman, the boy, despite his feelings of betrayal, strengthens his faith in God and discovers a more realistic view of human nature.
In this book for beginning readers, Henry, an only child, forms a deep attachment with a puppy who grows to be an enormous drooling dog, Mudge.
[citation needed] For a period she was in a romantic relationship with Dav Pilkey, author of Captain Underpants.
A Kindness (1988), Soda Jerk (1990), and A Couple of Kooks and Other Stories about Love (1990) have each been named a "Best Book of the Year for Young Adults" by the American Library Association.
Annie and Snowball Cobble Street Cousins Everyday Henry and Mudge The High Rise Private Eyes