Mr. Putter & Tabby Pour the Tea [Paperback]

Cynthia Rylant (Author), Arthur Howard (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 30, 1994 | Age Range: 6 - 9 years | Series: Mr. Putter & Tabby | Lexile Measure: 540L (What's this?)

"The gentle, affecting first volume introduces elderly Mr. Putter, who decides that a cat will keep him from feeling lonely. Rylant’s texts reflect admirable concern for brevity and meticulous consideration of every word. They are in perfect sync with Howard’s expressive sketches, which slip abundant visual jokes into sunny, transparent watercolors and gouaches, and fluid pencil and pastel scribbles."--Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Two tales about companionship mark the highly propitious start of a new series. The gentle, affecting first volume introduces elderly Mr. Putter, who decides that a cat will keep him from feeling lonely. Only kittens are available at the pet store (" 'Oh, no one wants cats, sir,' said the pet store lady. 'They are not cute. They are not peppy.' Mr. Putter himself has not been cute and peppy for a very long time"). At the animal shelter, however, he finds Tabby, a decidedly old yellow-and-white cat who needs a friend, too. In the second installment, quicker paced if less true to life, Mr. Putter and Tabby offer to take care of a neighbor's bulldog, Zeke, only to discover that Zeke isn't the darling "little lollypup" his owner believes him to be. Rylant's ( Missing May ; the Henry and Mudge series) texts, each broken into three short chapters, reflect admirable concern for brevity and meticulous consideration of every word. They are in perfect sync with Howard's expressive sketches, which slip abundant visual jokes into sunny, transparent watercolors and gouaches, and fluid pencil and pastel scribbles. Because the animals aren't strongly anthropomorphized, a sense of realism prevails, and the overall effect is sweet but never schmaltzy. Winsome and warmhearted, these books could become instant favorites. Ages 6-10.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Tired of living alone, Mr. Putter finds himself a perfect pet at an animal shelter. It is an old yellow cat with creaking bones and thinning fur who seems to be "a little deaf." But after all, "Mr. Putter creaked, his hair was thinning and he was a little deaf, too." Rylant's charming story of two elderly characters is complemented and enhanced by Howard's delightful illustrations, done in pencil, watercolor, and gouache. Mr. Putter's senior status and the style of illustration are reminiscent of James Stevenson's pictures for Helen V. Griffith's Grandaddy's Place (Greenwillow, 1987). A finely crafted beginning reader.
Gale W. Sherman, Pocatello Public Library, ID
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 6 - 9 years
  
• Paperback: 44 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper (March 30, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152009019
• ISBN-13: 978-0152009014
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 0.2 x 8.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,460 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #99 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Pets

More About the Author

Cynthia Rylant is the author of numerous distinguished novels and picture books for young readers. In addition to her beginning-reader series: Henry and Mudge, Poppleton, and Mr. Putter and Tabby, as well as her Cobble Street Cousins early-chapter series, she is also the author of the Newbery Medal-winning Missing May, the Newbery Honor Book A Fine White Dust, and two Caldecott Honor-winning picture books.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Story of Companionship July 29, 2002

By "alleah"

Format:Paperback

The Mr. Putter and Tabby series are the sort of books that I would have loved to have when I was a beginning reader. I know that I would have read them over and over again to no end, even once they began to fall apart from constant use. That's why I am so glad that Mr. Putter and Tabby are around now while my youngest brother is learning to read. The non-repetitious, non-rhyming storytelling contained within the books makes them a pleasure to read continually, unlike many other easy-reader books. And in my opinion, the Mr. Putter and Tabby books are a step in front of Ms. Rylant's Henry and Mudge collection, due to the fact that, in their own way, they create an appreciation for the elderly as the reader comes to love Mr. Putter, the aging main character whose only companion is his cat, Tabby.

In Mr. Putter and Tabby Pour the Tea, the first book in the series, Mr. Putter comes to know Tabby. During the first chapter, Mr. Putter expresses the feelings of loneliness and the desire for companionship that the elderly so often have. Thereafter, he chooses to adopt a cat, and the story continues to describe the affection they gain towards each other.

Mr. Howard's cartoon-style illustrations greatly enhance this wonderful story, which is written in such a format to be used as either a 3-chapter book for the beginning reader, or a bedtime story that is longer in length, opening into a possible discussion with your child about the significance of friendship in the elderly person's life. Either way, the Mr. Putter and Tabby books would be a great find for emerging readers' shelves. Like having a kindly old grandpa next door, they only make life richer!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A tale that pulls on the heartstrings May 24, 2000

By Nancy R. Woodington

Format:Paperback

With astonishing economy of words, Rylant sketches a life of solitude, then the beauty of companionship, in a way that can be appreciated by a young child, an adult, and everyone in between. All the "Mr. Putter and Tabby" books are good, but this one has an internal narrative power that the others sometimes lack. In effect this is a story of mutual redemption, with a happy ending but (for adults) a poignant aftertaste.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars YOU WILL HAVE TO SEARCH FAR AND WIDE TO FIND BETTER THAN THIS! September 1, 2009

By D. Blankenship HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

It would be extremely difficult to find a better first reader than any of the twenty some books in the Mr. Putter and Tabby series. It would be even more difficult to find anything to criticize in any of these books. Now I realize that nothing is perfect and if you look long enough and are one of those unfortunate individuals who by nature try to find fault at all cost, you may be able to come up with something, but for the life of me I cannot figure out what it could possibly be.

Briefly, in this offering, we find how Mr. Putter and Tabby got together. Mr. Putter lives alone in a very nice old Victorian house and lives alone. In the morning he enjoys his English Muffins, in the afternoon his tea and in the evening he is bursting with many fine stories to tell. But alas, he has no one to share is muffins, tea or stories with. During the day Mr. Putter putters in his wonderful garden and takes naps in his hammock. He has a rather full life but again, alas...he has no one to share it with.

Mr. Putter decides he wants a cat. He goes to the pet store but finds they have no cats, only kittens who are cute and peppy. Mr. Putter does not want cute and peppy, he wants a can. He is directed to the local shelter where he is assured he will be able to find the cat he is searching for. And indeed he does! Tabby is an old cat and her hair was thinning, her bones creak and she is becoming just a little deaf. As chance would have it Mr. Putter's hair is thinning, his bones creak and he too is becoming a bit deaf! This is a perfect match!

The author, Cynthia Rylant is an absolute master story teller and an absolute master at getting the most mileage out of each word she puts to the page. The syntax is so sparse that it puts one in mind of reading a well written Haiku. A random sampling follows:

He had warm muffins to eat.
He had good tea to pour.
And he had wonderful stories to tell.
Mr. Putter was tired of living alone.
Mr. Putter wanted a cat.

If you read these five lines closely you will find that there is not one word to spare, yet the author has told an entire story here that most of us could easily expand into twenty or thirty single spaced pages and still not be as effective the telling of the story that the author took only 31 words to do.

With this particular addition to the series the author has also touched on three subjects that are quite important. The first is addressing the problem of loneliness. The second, which is a subject near and dear to my heart, is the fact that many, many fine animals are destroyed each year simply because the are not "cute and peppy." Older animals do make wonderful pets and when adopting, people should keep this in mind. Third is another subject to which I feel close and that is the acceptance of elderly people as a vibrant part of our society. Having worked with the elderly for years, I have noted that at a certain age or point in their lives, many older citizens suddenly feel that they become invisible; almost nonexistent. I have heard this complaint many times and now that I am well into the category of "old" I know perfectly well what those people were talking about all those years. Books like this I feel help make the elderly more "human" to the very young.

Last but not least are the illustrations by Arthur Howard. They simply do not get much better for this genre. Done in pencil and water color they are quite detailed, comical, cartoonish, yet quite dignified. Neither the author nor the illustrator has overly anthropomorphized the animals in this or any of the other books and it is quite effective. Each and ever picture fits perfectly with the lean and almost poetic text. This is a good team! I think one of my favorite illustrations here are of Mr. Putter and Tabby singing opera with the phonograph in the evening.

This is a work targeted for the 4-8 age groups but it is a true joy to read at any age.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks