Mr. Putter & Tabby Write the Book

Great children's literature is also great literature. I love the Mr. Putter series. The character development is exquisite and, necessarily, very economic. The characters are 3D and not dumbed down like many are in other children's literature. The plots are tender, fun, touching. I read the Mr. Putter series to my 3 year old and they are by far her favorites. We can't get enough of Stir the Soup and Write the Book. Please keep the books coming!!

While the Mr. Putter and Tabby books are easily read by older kids (first grade or so), we discovered that they also make great read-alouds for our toddler. The subtle humor keeps parents chuckling, and asking, "Where's Tabby?" "Where's Zeke?" keeps toddlers on their toes. We love Mr. Putter!

Mr. Putter & Tabby Write the Book (Mr. Putter & Tabby) My children and I have been reading the Mr Putter and Tabby series by Cynthia Rylant for a long time. I was pleased to see that four new ones had come out since I last checked. So I bought them all. The characters are sweet but realistic--an old man and his sweet old cat, Tabby. Their temperaments are perfectly suited to each other so they have wonderful (but not too wild) adventures together. Tabby is always cat-like which as a cat lover, I appreciate. Mr. Putter has ambitions to write a book but finds it a bit more strenuous than he expected. I love the illustrations of Tabby especially--she is so expressive. I enjoy these stories as much as my kids do.

(1) It features one of the best duos in children's literature today; (2) It's a wonderful, cozy read for the kind of wintry days we've had for lo these many months in New England; (3) It's subtly indicative of the process that writers experience (which in real life isn't always funny, but here, it is); (4) Cynthia Rylant SHOWS, rather than TELLS (The underlying message here is to "write what you know," but that phrase never appears in the text.); (5) Arthur Howard's illustrations are perfect for this series. They're playful but not cartoonish, and realistic without being overly so; (6) It's fun! A great gift for every writer you know -- old, young, or aspiring. I have already shared it with a number of adult friends, and each one has loved it.

Winter has arrived in Mr Putter's neighborhood. He and his cat Tabby don't mind. They enjoy the cozy house on long winter days. Mr Putter gets the idea that he would like to write a book. Things go well at first and he gets ideas for his story. Then other things get in the way like cooking, eating naps, and taking care of Tabby. The winter days go by and Mr Putter still hasn't completed his book. His neighbor lets him know that there is always next winter and he can try again! The cartoon- like illustrations in the book are really funny. Tabby is a cute kitty that always has a cute expression on her face. This is a great book for early readers. There are pictures on every page and only a few sentences to each page as well.