Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick the Pears
Illustrator: Arthur Howard
Fiction Series
For ages 6 to 9
Harcourt Children's Books, 1995 ISBN: 978-0152002459
It is fall and all kinds of wonderful things are happening in Mr. Putter's garden. His apples are ripe, as are his tomatoes and his pears. Mr. Putter is looking forward to eating all kinds of good things made from the fruits and veggies in his garden, but most of all he is looking forward to eating pear jelly. So Mr. Putter goes to get the ladder so that he can pick some of the pears. He quickly discovers however that his "cranky" old legs just aren't up to climbing ladders any more. How is he going to get those pears if he can't climb a ladder?
And then Mr. Putter has a wonderful idea. He decides to make a slingshot; he is going to shoot the pears out of that tree. So he goes into the house, and using bits and pieces that he finds lying about, he makes a truly stupendous slingshot. Then, using fallen apples as his "shot," he proceeds to try to knock some pears out of his pear tree - with unforeseen consequences.
In this delightfully funny story Mr. Putter proves that even when one is no longer young, one can have a great deal of fun doing youthful things. Better still, in his case, his little bit of fun pays off in the most delightful way. One cannot help being delighted that this loveable man does get some very sweet rewards indeed.
An easy to follow text, wonderful characters, a terrific story, and delightful illustrations makes this a winning title for readers who are just beginning to read on their own.
