Poppleton is a portly middle-aged pig. Cherry Sue is a stylish, furry
llama. Hudson is a tiny, cheese-loving mouse. They may not look much
alike, but Poppleton is blessed with the friendship of the other two,
not to mention several other creatures of varying species and
dispositions. In Cynthia Rylant's Poppleton Forever, Cherry Sue,
Hudson, a dog named Newhouse who delivers packages and a munchy goat
named Fillmore try to assist Poppleton by bringing their expertise to
the solving of three different problems.
The Tree is a
sweet springtime story in which Poppleton plants a little dogwood tree
in his yard and is delighted by its growth - until one day it suddenly
starts looking brown and withered. When the tree doctor, a raccoon with a
white lab coat and stethoscope, can't figure out what's wrong - other
than that "the tree needs something" - Poppleton turns to his friends
for help. Hudson and Newhouse offer suggestions based upon what they
knew would make them perk up, but it is Cherry Sue who hits upon a wise
solution that turns out to be just right.
The Cold is a
funny little tale in which only Cherry Sue makes an appearance. It
opens with an illustration of a very vexed Poppleton blowing his nose
and leaning against the wall at the end of a trail of tissues.
(Incidentally, above his head is a framed picture of a cheeseburger and
ketchup, which I think is a marvelous piece of artwork for a pig to
display on his wall.) Kindly Cherry Sue, who probably could hear him
sneezing through the window, comes over bearing a bowl full of ten
oranges, full of cold-defeating Vitamin C. When he peels the first
orange, however, a surprising thing happens. Just as he is about to eat a
slice, the fruit flies out of his hoofed hands and into the fishbowl.
So the resilient pig tries again, but this time the orange lands in the
piano! Will poor Poppleton ever be able to take advantage of his
friend's thoughtful gift?
Wallpaper is the third and
final story. Poppleton decides to wallpaper his house, and he enlists
the aid of his good friend Hudson. He soon realizes, however, that at
three inches tall, this furry brown mouse may not be the best pal to
help in this matter. So he calls in Fillmore, but the insatiable goat
begins chewing on the wallpaper! Even Cherry Sue is ineffective, since
her luxurious fur keeps sticking to the glue. This is a sweet story that
gently hints at the notion of self-sacrifice, as Poppleton's friends
show themselves willing to change in order to better help him, while he
offers to repay their generous spirit with a palatable reward inspired
by the design on his troublesome wallpaper.
Rylant's writing
style is pleasing as always in this fourth book in the Poppleton series
for young readers, and I'm enchanted by Mark Teague's illustrations,
which have a soft but richly detailed look about them. I've been
enjoying two of Rylant's other series, Henry and Mudge and Mr. Putter and Tabby,
and each set of characters has a different illustrator with a distinct
style. Although the Poppleton books exclusively feature anthropomorphic
animals, as opposed to the others that show humans residing with
natural-acting dogs and cats, I would say Teague's style is considerably
less cartoonish than the others. These animals look both very realistic
and very human, and the combination makes them extremely lovable,
especially when they're showing as much consideration for each other as
they do in Poppleton Forever.
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