Mr. Putter and Tabby Stir the Soup

Mr. Putter and Tabby try their best to make a pot of soup in this latest addition to the Putter & Tabby series.

Candace Deisley - Children's Literature

Rylant is a wonder! Here, with a limited vocabulary to encourage and enrich beginning readers, she captures the essence of the relationship between a wonderful old man and the wonderful old cat who is his faithful companion. Mr. Putter found that he has all the ingredients to make soup, which was an uncommon occurrence, the reader is told. But his stove, Bessie, "didn't warm up. She didn't warm up even a little. She just sat there, cold and quiet." What was Mr. Putter to do? He telephoned his neighbor and asked if he could make it there. She asked if he could make the soup with her dog in the house, and Mr. Putter said, "Of Course." Well, Zeke was delighted to have the company, and brought Mr. Putter his leash, a ball, a stick, a potted plant, a radio... all of which Mr. Putter put out of harm's way. When Mrs. Teaberry returned home, she found her neighbor asleep, and her house missing things! That is, until she looked in the bathtub. This is guaranteed to bring a smile to the reader's face. 2003, Harcourt, Ages 4 to 7.

CYNTHIA RYLANT is the acclaimed author of many beloved books for young people, including the Mr. Putter & Tabby series, the novel Missing May, which received the Newbery Medal, and the Little Whistle series. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

ARTHUR HOWARD is best known as the illustrator of Cynthia Rylant's Mr. Putter & Tabby series. He is also the illustrator of Kathi Appelt's Bubba and Beau series and has written and illustrated picture books of his own. He lives in New York City.