Over the past few weeks, I have been a voracious reader of books by
Cynthia Rylant. This prolific Newbery Award-winning author has penned
several series, of which I am currently working my way through three.
Henry and Mudge are a red-headed boy of seven or eight and his big
drooly dog. Mr. Putter and Tabby are an elderly bald man and his creaky
orange cat. Poppleton, whose series is comparably short, is a quiet,
unassuming middle-aged pig. After reading several installments of each
series, I recently got my hands on the first volumes. All three mark a
big change in the lives of the protagonists, but Poppleton makes the
biggest change of all when he leaves his city life for a charming house
in a small town. Far from anyone he knows, he has taken a risk, which is
rewarded with a very special friendship with his new next-door
neighbor, a llama named Cherry Sue.
We meet her in Neighbors,
the first of three stories in this book, which is illustrated by Mark
Teague. We get one illustration of Poppleton jogging along in a park in a
hoodie, a street lamp behind him, a roller-blading chicken beside him,
the cityscape off in the distance. Then it's off to the small-town life
for him, in a lovely white house with a pine tree and a picket fence. He
can garden in the yard and nap in the sunroom. He can put all his
knick-knacks on the shelves throughout the house. And he can enjoy the
company of his very friendly neighbor, who comes over constantly with
food she has prepared. Though he likes her and her food, Poppleton
begins to feel smothered. How can he make her understand that he needs a
little time to himself? This tale is a charming introduction to the
rather anxious Poppleton and a good lesson on the importance of
assertiveness reminiscent of the George and Martha story Split Pea Soup.
My relationship with the library has wavered through the years, but at
the moment it's going strong, so I can appreciate the importance of
Poppleton's weekly visits in The Library. The text tells us that
no matter what else is happening on Monday, he has to go to the library,
where he sits and reads an adventure book all day, armed with a few
essentials like tissues and a pocket watch. This is a good story to get
kids excited about reading, though I confess I thought there might be
some sort of twist at the end. Like Cherry Sue's birthday would fall on a
Monday and he would become flexible in order to celebrate his friend's
special day. Or he would discover that books can be checked out of the
library, so he doesn't have to sit at the library reading all day. But
he seems to truly savor this routine, so there's nothing wrong with
that.
The Pill is a very silly story in which Poppleton
offers to tend to his friend Fillmore, a goat who is sick in bed.
(Incidentally, while another book shows a framed picture of a
cheeseburger on Poppleton's wall, Fillmore has a framed painting of a
just-opened can.) Every once in a while, my cats need a pill, and we
often use the trick of putting the pill in something tasty so they will
eat it without realizing it. Fillmore wants Poppleton to do just this.
Not just any tasty something, mind you: something sweet and soft with
raspberry filling and chocolate on top. What's more, he insists
Poppleton divide the cake into ten pieces and not tell him which piece
the pill is in. After each piece, though, he demands to know whether he
has eaten the pill. What will happen when only one piece remains and the
pill is inside? This story shows that Fillmore can certainly match
Poppleton when it comes to eating. One can't help but wonder if he is
really sick, or he just wants an excuse to eat lots of cake...
Poppleton is a perfectly pleasant pig, thanks to Rylant's marvelous
writing that is perfect for early readers and Teague's soft, wonderfully
detailed illustrations. Once you meet Poppleton, you'll want to come
back and visit often!
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