Mr. Putter Returns to School in Mr. Putter and Tabby Ring the Bell

I grew up with many great easy reader series, but one of my very favorites is one I didn’t discover until I was an adult. That’s the Mr. Putter and Tabby series by Cynthia Rylant and Arthur Howard. This September saw the release of its 20th installment, and no first-grader could be more delighted than I was to see that it was time for a new tale featuring the lovable bachelor and his creaky cat, along with his sweet-natured neighbor and her affable bulldog.

Like me, Mr. Putter is very in tune with his inner child, and in Mr. Putter and Tabby Ring the Bell, the arrival of autumn weather and the ringing of a nearby school bell make him nostalgic for the classroom. Usually, it’s the more adventurous Mrs. Teaberry who comes up with an idea and gets mild-mannered Mr. Putter to go along with it, but this time out, he convinces her to go back to school for the day with him.

The cover illustration is a bit misleading, as it shows Mr. Putter sitting in a child’s desk, raising his hand. In the story, he does not actually settle in like a student for the day. Instead, he and his good friend bring Tabby and Zeke in for show and tell. But the kids want to see tricks. Can they coax some unusual antics out of a cat who is always napping and an overeating dog?

As with the previous installments of this adorable series, the four main characters spring to life despite the minimalist writing style. Rylant selects each word carefully, using it to maximum effect. For instance, her choice of “crispy” to describe fall carries with it all sorts of connotations, from dry leaves that crackle underfoot to tasty desserts made with crumbly oatmeal topping. A little later on, Rylant describes Zeke as “showy,” which provides a natural segue into Mr. Putter’s show and tell idea.

Howard’s illustrations are wonderful, expressive and loaded with little details. For instance, I love that when the visitors arrive in the classroom, the sheets of paper on the children’s desks read “dog” and “cat,” showing that their teacher has oriented a lesson around these special guests. The outdoor pictures of Mr. Putter are charming, with leaves blowing all around him and his scarf whipping in the wind. This book is also one of several in the series to include a picture that flashes back to his childhood. Here, we witness his love of geography as he tenderly gazes at a globe, one of the objects he most readily associates with school.

This book includes six sections, the shortest of which is just four pages long. The longest section is also the only one that deals directly with the classroom visit. The previous four chapters provide build-up, while the final one provides a nice denouement. It’s not unusual for books in this series to focus more on preparation for a particular event than on the event itself, and since the heightened anticipation makes what happens in the classroom even funnier, I don’t see it as a pacing problem. These stories tend to putter along just like their main character, and that just adds to the gentle fun.

By mid-September, many students are already grumbling about being back in school, but through the enthusiastic eyes of one of my favorite kidlit characters, they might just find a renewed zest for their education – or at least for show and tell!