Mr. Putter and Tabby Spin the Yarn

Cynthia Rylant Mr. Putter and Tabby Spin the Yarn; illus. by Arthur Howard. 38pp/ Harcourt, Inc. 2006 ISBN-10: 0-15-205067-1 $11.20 (Intermediate)

In Cynthia Rylant’s Mr Putter and Tabby Spin the Yarn, Mr. Putter wants to show his neighbor, Mrs. Teaberry, what a good neighbor he too can be. However, when Mr. Putter provides her knitting party with tea and chocolates, his cat Tabby and Mrs. Teaberry’s dog Zeke go crazy. Rylant does a decent job of telling this short story in the third person narrative point of view. The illustrations by Arthur Howard do an incredible job of adding to the story. Howard uses descriptive facial features, strong vibrant colors, good use of space, and a good depiction of movement. This was a cute and enjoyable story with lovable characters. Rylant’s If You’ll Be My Valentine is another classic filled with affectionate characters, which tells the tale of a young boy making his own Valentine's Day cards.

Courtney Fender, BGSU student