School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Tired of living alone, Mr. Putter finds himself a perfect pet at an animal shelter. It is an old yellow cat with creaking bones and thinning fur who seems to be ``a little deaf.'' But after all, ``Mr. Putter creaked, his hair was thinning and he was a little deaf, too.'' Rylant's charming story of two elderly characters is complemented and enhanced by Howard's delightful illustrations, done in pencil, watercolor, and gouache. Mr. Putter's senior status and the style of illustration are reminiscent of James Stevenson's pictures for Helen V. Griffith's Grandaddy's Place (Greenwillow, 1987). A finely crafted beginning reader.-Gale W. Sherman, Pocatello Public Library, ID (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Two tales about companionship mark the highly propitious start of a new series. The gentle, affecting first volume introduces elderly Mr. Putter, who decides that a cat will keep him from feeling lonely. Only kittens are available at the pet store (`` `Oh, no one wants cats, sir,' said the pet store lady. `They are not cute. They are not peppy.' Mr. Putter himself has not been cute and peppy for a very long time''). At the animal shelter, however, he finds Tabby, a decidedly old yellow-and-white cat who needs a friend, too. In the second installment, quicker paced if less true to life, Mr. Putter and Tabby offer to take care of a neighbor's bulldog, Zeke, only to discover that Zeke isn't the darling ``little lollypup'' his owner believes him to be. Rylant's ( Missing May ; the Henry and Mudge series) texts, each broken into three short chapters, reflect admirable concern for brevity and meticulous consideration of every word. They are in perfect sync with Howard's expressive sketches, which slip abundant visual jokes into sunny, transparent watercolors and gouaches, and fluid pencil and pastel scribbles. Because the animals aren't strongly anthropomorphized, a sense of realism prevails, and the overall effect is sweet but never schmaltzy. Winsome and warmhearted, these books could become instant favorites. Ages 6-10. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Two volumes tell the story of a lonely bachelor and his new companion, Tabby. In the first book, Mr. Putter adopts Tabby, an old yellow cat, and in the second adventure, Mr. Putter and Tabby agree to take a rambunctious bulldog for a walk every day for a week. The funny and endearing stories are illustrated in watercolor and pencil in a cartoon style. From HORN BOOK 1994, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Mr. Putter craves someone to share his muffins and tea and stories; sensibly ignoring the pet store lady's conviction that only ``cute,'' ``peppy'' kittens are worthy (``Mr. Putter himself had not been cute and peppy for a very long time''), he goes to the animal shelter and chooses an old yellow cat--a little deaf, and with thinning hair, like him. It goes without saying that the two become comfortable companions. Rylant's apt descriptions and artful repetitions set this easy reader and its sequel (Mr. Putter and Tabby Walk the Dog, ISBN: 0-15-256259-1) a cut above the competition, though not on a par with her own incomparable Henry and Mudge. Howard catches the story's appealing pathos, as well as its humor, in a practiced cartoon style. (Easy reader. 4- 8)
