Mr. Putter & Tabby Bake the Cake

Mr. Putter & Tabby #3

by Cynthia Rylant, Arthur Howard (Illustrator)

Mr. Putter and his beloved cat bake a light and airy Christmas cake for their neighbor Mrs. Teaberry. “Howard’s relaxed, mixed-media pictures catch the nuances of the cozy, affectionate relationship between an old man and a cat with all the right moves.”-- Booklist

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Christmas, Fiction, Cats, Chapter Books, Animals

44 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

An author of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for children and young adults as well as an author and author/illustrator of picture books for children, Cynthia Rylant is recognized as a gifted writer who has contributed memorably to several genres of juvenile literature. A prolific author who often bases her works on her own background, especially on her childhood in the West Virginia mountains, she is the creator of contemporary novels and historical fiction for young adults, middle-grade fiction and fantasy, lyrical prose poems, beginning readers, collections of short stories, volumes of poetry and verse, books of prayers and blessings, two autobiographies, and a biography of three well-known children's writers; several volumes of the author's fiction and picture books are published in series, including the popular "Henry and Mudge" easy readers about a small boy and his very large dog.

Rylant is perhaps most well known as a novelist. Characteristically, she portrays introspective, compassionate young people who live in rural settings or in small towns and who tend to be set apart from their peers.

from bookrags.com

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the elderly Mr. Putter and his sweet cat, Tabby! In this story, Mr. Putter decide to save their neighbor, Mrs. Teaberry, from the dreaded fruitcake (though she does seem to like it!) is so heavy it might fall on her foot and hurt her toe! So, he decides to bake a very fluffy, light, delicious cake for her. Only problem is, he has never baked a cake before! Will the Christmas spirit see this sometimes-curmudgeon through?

I'm such a fan of this series. I'm not sure this offering is one of my favorites, but it's still very nice and I'm glad they have a holiday-themed one :-)

[Miriam Axel-lute · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my surprise favorites on my daughter's bookshelf. It's not one I knew as a kid, and it's an easy reader, which are often misery to read aloud--repetition, short, simple sentences, no contractions, etc.

But this is a sweet book that holds my daughter's interest, while being funny and subtle enough to be a story that I like even after multiple readings. I also think it's cool to have a successful kids book with no kid characters. Our hero is an old guy, but not only that, he's never portrayed in relation to a family. He's just an old guy with a cat, he's happy, and he wants to bake a cake for his neighbor for Christmas because he's concerned about the fact that she appears to think fruitcake is good food. I don't know if we learn more about him in other books in the series, but we don't need to.

[Abbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I may have actually joined some sort of cult with Mr. Putter and Tabby. These books are so sweet, so funny, and give way to the best conversations with AJ. For instance, just today in the car, we had a long discussion about fruit cakes and whether or not one could actually break a person's toe.
The illustrator is clearly very familiar with cats and illustrates Tabby with the sort of personality that only real cat people understand. Underlying it all is a very sweet friendship between neighbors that underscores that being nice to your friends, above all, is a gift.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure whether this is one of the best of the series, but it fits on the Christmas shelf perfectly, with the little snafus and the happy ending. And I love the memories of the dreams of Tabby and Mr. Putter. And the theme of patience and persistence is important.

[Annika · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poignant tale of an elderly gentleman confronting his fears of both culinary and romantic commitment. While the entire "Mr Putter" canon truly shines in its portrayal of the magnanimous Mr. Putter and his loyal feline friend Tabby as the paragon of interspecies companionship, this volume stands out in its thoughtful treatment of gender norm subversion, neighborly courtship, and the perils of fruitcake.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

We've really enjoyed the Mr. Putter and Tabby series; I appreciate the series featuring senior citizens. We love the interaction between Mr. Putter and Tabby, as well as with Mrs. Teaberry and Zeke. The narrative is fun and a bit wry and the illustrations are comical too. We have read many of the books in this series and we were glad to find one with a Christmas theme to read now.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great easy read broken up into chapters for early readers. The illustrations made it a hit with my preschooler though. We are enjoying it as a holiday book at Christmas and I like the message of giving to others. We are going to look for other books featuring Mr. Putter and Tabby.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because I like cakes. I didn't like this book because I didn't like the part when it told me Mr. putter didn't know how to bake a cake.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the warm story line with even warmer illustration.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: It was wintertime. Mr. Putter and his fine cat, Tabby, sat at their window every night to watch the snow come down.

Premise/plot: Mr. Putter and Tabby Bake the Cake is the third book in the early chapter series by Cynthia Rylant. In the first chapter, readers learn that Mr. Putter and Tabby LOVE Christmas. They love giving Christmas presents. But Mr. Putter isn't sure what to give his neighbor, Mrs. Teaberry, for Christmas. She loves fruitcake. Mr. Putter doesn't understand why a person would love fruitcake, would even like fruitcake. Cakes should not be able to break your toes. He decides he will bake her a cake for Christmas. In the second chapter, readers learn of all the obstacles standing in the way. "The cake was not a cinch. In the first place, Mr. Putter did not know how to bake a cake. He could bake instant muffins. He could bake instant popovers. But he had never baked a cake. He didn't know how. In the second place, Mr. Putter had no pans. He had muffin pans. He had popover pans. But he had no cake pans. If he baked a cake, it would have to be in a shoe. Or maybe in a flowerpot. Or even in a hat." The third obstacle: no cookbook. In the third chapter, Mr. Putter finds a solution to his problem. He will learn to bake a cake from Mary Sue. Mary Sue doesn't entirely seem trustworthy. She sells him $100 worth of STUFF though. "She sold Mr. Putter seven bowls. She sold Mr. Putter three sifters. She sold Mr. Putter ten spoons, five cups, two spatulas, a roll of waxed paper, and a Christmas tree pan. Then she sold him an Easy Baker cookbook and sent him out the door. Mr. Putter had spent one hundred dollars. And he still didn't have any flour." In the fourth and final chapter, Mr. Putter and Tabby get ready to bake. Will the cake turn out light and airy? Will Mrs. Teaberry enjoy the cake? Will this be a happy Christmas?

My thoughts: I definitely enjoyed this one. It was FUN. It was MERRY. I am continuing to love this series. The writing is just delightful. Rylant knows how to craft an entertaining story. There is a lot of characterization packed in as well--a lot of showing and not telling.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's Christmas time, and Mr. Putter knew what to buy for gifts for everyone except his neighbor Mrs. Teaberry. Mrs. Teaberry liked fruitcake, but Mr. Putter decided to bake her a light airy cake. After several attempts to bake the cake he finally succeeded. Will Mrs. Teaberry like the light airy cake, over her love of fruitcake?

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy reader with a great story showing rememberance of several pastChristmas, thinking of others,and making the perfect gift for a special friend. Lovely illustrations also. This is what a easy reader should be. Timeless.

[Josie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Mr. Putter and Tabby books. He is like a sweet grandpa I never had. They are so sweet.

[Ann M. Noser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read with my third grade daughter. This book makes us think of baking. The words and pictures are so funny and cute. Delightful story. Wonderful series.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Also adorable, but loses points for anti-fruitcake propaganda.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again-She has a flair for tongue in cheek for children

[Rini · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 4 yr old daughter wasn't thrilled with a few of these being added to our library stack but we made a deal that at bed time we would read two books, one she picked and one I picked. I picked Mr Putter. She was smiling and giggling the entire time and liked it so much that we HAD to read another one. There are 4 chapters in each book and lots of great illustrations on every page. This particular story is about Mr Putter and Tabby deciding they want to make their neighbor Mrs Teaberry a real cake for Christmas instead of her eating fruitcake. Only problem is Mr Putter has no clue how to bake a cake.
These will be a new favorite I can tell, love that his cat goes with him everywhere. Very sweet story, and nice to see some older characters in kids books. I thought the interactions between the neighbors was cute and seeing a retired lifestyle was nice.

[Anna]

I forgot how upset I was by this book as a child. Poor Mr. Putter! The saleslady at the baking store talks him into buying $100 (which seemed to me an enormous sum) worth of mostly superfluous baking supplies. Then he pulls an all-nighter trying and repeatedly failing to bake his neighbor a Christmas cake, collapsing in exhaustion after delivering the final version! I had difficulty seeing the humor in situations where unnecessary effort/ money/time is expended on anything. 😆

[Hailey Vittrup · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received this book as an incomplete "preview" DRC. I want to say that I have read it its entirety before, but I am unsure. I was sad that I was not able to read this book in its entirety in the preview form, but I am a fan of the Mr. Putter series. They're sweet. The couple pages of this book that I read this morning did not disappoint. I am sure that this is a great book!

[May Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny yet bittersweet

This story sort of gives us a feel of what it is like to be old and alone, but as a whole it gave us another funny adventure of this pet and human duo. The lesson here is it is cheaper and more convenient if you just buy your gift instead of making it yourself.

[Malfam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny! Not scary. -6 year old

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a baker, this is probably my favorite book in the series. My daughter could not stop giggling at Mr. P’s antics.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another fun book in this series. Mr. Putter discovers how expensive and how difficult it is, to begin baking!

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good!

[Cathleen Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poor Mr. Putter! He worked so hard. Luckily Mrs. Teaberry is very patient!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good series of chapter books, for new readers who have a good reading foundation.

[Stella Schaefer-Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute!

[Precious · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute story about friendship and perseverance.

[Satyam Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

" She was PATIENT "

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs. Teaberry is a vibe.