Happy Birthday, Mr. Putter

T and I are in love with the Mr. Putter and Tabby series by Cynthia Rylant. My long-time friend (CWRU Alpha Chi Omega sister) Kathy introduced us to them when Thomas was 5 or 6 (thank you Kath!!) and we're so grateful to the author and illustrator for continuing to produce new titles.

The stories center around Mr. Putter and his cat, Tabby, and their neighbors, Mrs. Teaberry and her good dog, Zeke. Mr. Putter is an older gentleman who has the heart of an eight-year old boy. Mrs. Teaberry's spunk ("Old people can do anything they want," she says in Mr. Putter and Tabby Toot the Horn) and her very energetic dog provide adventure at almost every turn. Arthur Howard's illustrations bring the stories to life and add extra charm and humor to already charming humorous tales.

In Mr. Putter and Tabby Make A Wish, we learned that Mr. Putter's birthday is October 2nd, so Happy Birthday to him tomorrow! In his honor, here are our "top three." (There are now 19!!)

The first one we read is still T's favorite. In Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick the Pears, Mr. Putter wants to pick pears from his pear tree but can't get up his ladder. His ingenious plan to get them down takes him back to his childhood so well that he forgets all about the pear jelly he was dreaming of... will he get his wish? T still breaks into fits of giggles when he reads this, even though he probably has the whole book memorized!


My personal favorite is Mr. Putter and Tabby Toot the Horn, in which Mrs. Teaberry decides she and Mr. Putter should join a band. Let's just say Mr. Putter doesn't have much musical talent, but the important thing is that Mr. Putter tries! And Mrs. Teaberry supports him all the way.

Mr. Putter Putter wants to make Mrs. Teaberry a special Christmas present in Mr. Putter and Tabby Bake the Cake. The lengths he'll go to are both funny and touching. The page where Mr. Putter enumerates all the reasons he can't bake is one of the T's favorite, and his trip to the Sweet Shop (with Tabby in tow) is a classic.