Friday, March 30, 2018

Mr. Putter and Tabby Turn the Page

Mr. Putter and Tabby Turn the Page. (Mr. Putter & Tabby #23). Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Arthur Howard. 2014. 40 pages. [Source: Library]

 First sentence: Mr. Putter and his fine cat, Tabby, loved quiet time. They loved quiet baths. They loved quiet naps. They loved quiet thinking. Mr. Putter and Tabby spent their favorite quiet times reading. Mr. Putter loved to read, but he did not like to read alone. He liked having someone to read to. And Tabby was the someone.

Premise/plot: Reading has always been a quiet activity that is until Mr. Putter spots a sign at the library: Read aloud with your pet at story time. He signs up! He also tells his neighbor, Mrs. Teaberry, about the event at the library. What story will Mr. Putter (and Tabby) choose to read to children? What story will Mrs. Teaberry (and Zeke) choose to read to children?

My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one. Mr. Putter and Tabby are two of my favorite, favorite characters. They are relatively new acquaintances of mine. But I know we are kindred spirits at heart. The writing is DELIGHTFUL.
Mr. Putter thought and thought about what story to read aloud at the library. He thought about cowboys and he thought about rabbits. He did not think about gardens. Gardens were not adventures to most people. Gardens were an adventure to Tabby, but that is because Tabby knew how to make them exciting. 
But a big part of the satisfaction--the delight, the joy--comes from the illustrations. Some of my favorite illustrations in this one include: Tabby sitting on Mr. Putter's feet as he is reading; Tabby sitting on Mr. Putter's head as he is reading; Mrs. Teaberry's celebrating "new" with her band 'The Zeekers' and a plate full of cauliflower cookies; Mrs. Teaberry's library hat.


© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

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