MR. PUTTER & TABBY RING THE BELL

Show-and-Tell will never be the same after Mr. Putter and Tabby and Mrs. Teaberry and Zeke are through.

Fall for Mr. Putter and his cat, Tabby, means crisp air, crunchy leaves and apples. But this year, the ringing of the school bell arouses a longing in Mr. Putter for school days gone by—globes, pencils, erasers. Just then, their neighbor’s dog, Zeke, streaks through the yard wearing half a cake on his head and sparks one of Mr. Putter’s infamous ideas. With Mrs. Teaberry as his accomplice, the two neighbors are soon scheduled to appear at first grade show-and-tell with their pets and their pet tricks…only Tabby and Zeke are not well known for any tricks. And by the end of the big day, the only trick they have done is a disappearing one: Zeke demolishes the class cupcakes, and then both skedaddle. Still, Mr. Putter gets to enjoy the school smells and sights and, especially, the children. And both he and Mrs. Teaberry enjoy laughing at the worst show-and-tell ever. Howard’s pencil, watercolor and gouache illustrations charmingly convey Mr. Putter’s longings, the mischievousness of his plan and his delight in being back in school. Rylant’s ever-fresh text will gracefully coax emergent readers into independence.

These four neighbors are great company, and their portrayal of aging is sweetly refreshing. (Early reader. 6-9)