What do you think?
Rate this book
Mr. Putter & Tabby #9
Mr. Putter & Tabby Paint the Porch
Mr. Putter wants to paint his porch. He has a bucket of pink paint, a big brush, and some rags. And he has Tabby to keep him company. Everything is perfect, until a squirrel scampers onto the porch and catches Tabby's eye. . . .
44 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2000
About the author
Cynthia Rylant
381 books871 followersCynthia Rylant is an American author, poet, and librarian whose deeply felt books for children and young adults have made her one of the most beloved voices in contemporary literature. Writing across picture books, novels, short stories, nonfiction, and poetry, she has published more than one hundred works, many of them rooted in memory, family, solitude, and the emotional landscapes of ordinary life. Her fiction often draws from her upbringing in West Virginia and reflects the textures of Appalachian life with unusual tenderness and clarity.
Raised in modest circumstances, Rylant spent much of her childhood with her grandparents in a rural setting that later became central to her imagination as a writer. Those early years, marked by hardship as well as warmth, shaped the emotional honesty and quiet resilience that define her work. She later studied English and library science, and after working as a waitress, librarian, and teacher, she began publishing books inspired by the world she had known so intimately.
Among her most acclaimed works are Missing May, which received the Newbery Medal, and A Fine White Dust, a Newbery Honor Book. She also earned Caldecott Honors for When I Was Young in the Mountains and The Relatives Came. For younger readers, she became especially well known through the enduring Henry and Mudge series, as well as other popular books and series that combine gentleness, humor, and emotional depth.
Rylant's writing is distinguished by its compassion for lonely, searching, or overlooked characters, and by its reverence for animals, nature, and small human connections. Whether writing about grief, wonder, childhood, or belonging, she brings a lyrical simplicity that resonates across generations. Her books continue to offer comfort, recognition, and beauty to readers of all ages. She remains a singular literary presence in children's literature and beyond today.
Raised in modest circumstances, Rylant spent much of her childhood with her grandparents in a rural setting that later became central to her imagination as a writer. Those early years, marked by hardship as well as warmth, shaped the emotional honesty and quiet resilience that define her work. She later studied English and library science, and after working as a waitress, librarian, and teacher, she began publishing books inspired by the world she had known so intimately.
Among her most acclaimed works are Missing May, which received the Newbery Medal, and A Fine White Dust, a Newbery Honor Book. She also earned Caldecott Honors for When I Was Young in the Mountains and The Relatives Came. For younger readers, she became especially well known through the enduring Henry and Mudge series, as well as other popular books and series that combine gentleness, humor, and emotional depth.
Rylant's writing is distinguished by its compassion for lonely, searching, or overlooked characters, and by its reverence for animals, nature, and small human connections. Whether writing about grief, wonder, childhood, or belonging, she brings a lyrical simplicity that resonates across generations. Her books continue to offer comfort, recognition, and beauty to readers of all ages. She remains a singular literary presence in children's literature and beyond today.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
March 22, 2026
Very simple, very wholesome, and yet super engaging for Tot. Quite soothing for me. The illustrations are gorgeous. Very on vibe for springtime.
January 25, 2022
On a beautiful spring afternoon, Mr. Putter and his valued cat Tabby settle on their porch to read a story, but all they can focus on is how much the porch needs painting. When an uninvited chipmunk and squirrel show up, painting chaos reigns!! A humorous story for preschoolers and early elementary children.
March 14, 2010
The Mr. Putter and Tabby are one of our favorite childrens series. We laughed so much together and it made reading fun and was a wonderful way to spend time together. Cynthia Rylant is such a wonderful story teller. I would recommend any in this series for young children (and their parents)
November 30, 2018
Mr. Rogers would really love these books and I can't think of a nicer thing to say of them.
January 23, 2018
First sentence: It was springtime and Mr. Putter and his fine cat, Tabby, were feeling very chipper. The birds sang, the sun shone, the flowers bloomed.
Premise/plot: The book begins with Mr. Putter promising to read his cat, Tabby, a funny story. But he gets distracted when he notices the front porch needs painting. He decides to paint the porch and then read a funny story to Tabby. But does all go according to his plan? Not with Tabby and Zeke around! Or should I make that squirrels and chipmunks!
My thoughts: This is a funny early chapter book. I love, love, love Mr. Putter AND Tabby. This pair is well-suited--for each other and for me as a reader. This one is ACTION packed.
November 26, 2018
I love reading this series to 2nd graders out loud. These are beginning reader series books but they don't seem simplified, the writing is engaging and the stories are funny. The students often look for these afterward to read on their own.
October 30, 2023
Holly and I knocked out this one via an Internet Grandpa YouTube video. Banger as always fr fr.
July 2, 2017
Categories/Genres for this class fulfilled by this book: Easy Reader
Copyright date: 2001
Estimate of age level of interest: 5-8
Estimate of reading level: 2nd Grade
Brief description: Mr. Putter has difficulty painting his porch with his cat Tabby and some other neighborhood animals hanging around.
Identify at least 2 characteristics of this genre and subgenre and discuss how they appear in your book.
Easy Reader books are perfect for children just learning how to read or are becoming independent, more fluent readers. This book is an easy reader text; however, it is moving into more of an early reader for more fluent readers. The focus in this book is not entirely on decoding, but more on comprehension. Mr. Putter and Tabby Paint the Porch is an interesting and humorous story told in longer sentences with medium-sized text and more text on the page than a very early reader. There is a plot with a problem and a solution, allowing children to make predictions as they read. This book also has more pages than early readers and it is broken up into chapters. The pictures help tell the story of Mr. Putter’s painting disaster, but they are not solely used to comprehend the story.
In what ways and how well does the book as a whole serve its intended audience?
This is a perfect book for younger independent readers in an elementary school. Young readers in first and second grade will find this story humorous due the problems Mr. Putter runs into while trying to paint the porch. Using animals as some of the characters in this book will also make it a high interest read for elementary students. Since this book has chapters, first and second grade readers will gravitate more to it feeling as if it is an “older” book to be reading and will be proud to have read the book independently.
Awards: None found
Citations for published reviews:
School Library Journal, July 2000
BookList, April 2000
Horn Book, Fall 2000
Copyright date: 2001
Estimate of age level of interest: 5-8
Estimate of reading level: 2nd Grade
Brief description: Mr. Putter has difficulty painting his porch with his cat Tabby and some other neighborhood animals hanging around.
Identify at least 2 characteristics of this genre and subgenre and discuss how they appear in your book.
Easy Reader books are perfect for children just learning how to read or are becoming independent, more fluent readers. This book is an easy reader text; however, it is moving into more of an early reader for more fluent readers. The focus in this book is not entirely on decoding, but more on comprehension. Mr. Putter and Tabby Paint the Porch is an interesting and humorous story told in longer sentences with medium-sized text and more text on the page than a very early reader. There is a plot with a problem and a solution, allowing children to make predictions as they read. This book also has more pages than early readers and it is broken up into chapters. The pictures help tell the story of Mr. Putter’s painting disaster, but they are not solely used to comprehend the story.
In what ways and how well does the book as a whole serve its intended audience?
This is a perfect book for younger independent readers in an elementary school. Young readers in first and second grade will find this story humorous due the problems Mr. Putter runs into while trying to paint the porch. Using animals as some of the characters in this book will also make it a high interest read for elementary students. Since this book has chapters, first and second grade readers will gravitate more to it feeling as if it is an “older” book to be reading and will be proud to have read the book independently.
Awards: None found
Citations for published reviews:
School Library Journal, July 2000
BookList, April 2000
Horn Book, Fall 2000
February 19, 2013
Loved it!
I love these books, the whole series. They are warm and funny. Mr. Putter is so earnest, and kind, and polite. It’s just that funny things keep happening to him. The illustrations are very expressive, they really communicate the emotions of the characters, especially Tabby.
These books are written for children who have outgrown “early readers” but are not quite ready for “chapter” books. They’re still easy to read and have a picture on each page, but they have more words on each page, and an increased vocabulary. So I really, really recommend Mr. Putter if you have a child at that stage. I also recommend Mr. Putter for reading out loud.
Legomeister loved these books when he read them, and now Little Miss is reading them and she loves them too.
I love these books, the whole series. They are warm and funny. Mr. Putter is so earnest, and kind, and polite. It’s just that funny things keep happening to him. The illustrations are very expressive, they really communicate the emotions of the characters, especially Tabby.
These books are written for children who have outgrown “early readers” but are not quite ready for “chapter” books. They’re still easy to read and have a picture on each page, but they have more words on each page, and an increased vocabulary. So I really, really recommend Mr. Putter if you have a child at that stage. I also recommend Mr. Putter for reading out loud.
Legomeister loved these books when he read them, and now Little Miss is reading them and she loves them too.
May 11, 2015
My son and I both thoroughly enjoyed every book in this series (through #18; the rest weren't published / available at our library yet). Mrs. Rylant's sentence structure is simple enough for beginning readers to enjoy but don't let that fool you! Each book contains an engaging plot, clever & silly humor, and underlying themes of friendship, thoughtfulness, and responsibility. We spent many hours laughing together at the (mis)adventures of Mr. Putter, Tabby, and their friends. We were excited to find out what would happen as we started each book. HIGHLY recommend!!!
December 29, 2018
It's Spring again, and when Mr. Putter and his fine cat Tabby sit on the front porch to enjoy a story Mr. Putter realizes that his porch needs painting. While painting, a squirrel scampers on the railing, and Tabby gives chase, and the paint job is ruined. The next day a chipmunk scampers on the railing, and Zeke, Mrs. Teaberry's good dog, gives chase. In the end the porch is finally painted, and Mr. Putter, and Mrs. Teaberry enjoy a good laugh at what they both see.
May 28, 2014
We've been reading a lot of Mr. Putter and Tabby recently, but this one particularly tickled Mae's funny bone. I don't know if she was more amused by the way the porch looked after Tabby or Zeke had chased off another critter or the reappearance of painted critters at the end of the story. Another fun read!
Read
April 28, 2015I like this book. The illustrations support the text and there is a detailed illustration on each page. The text is provided in short sentences. Some words might be unfamiliar to children. It has four chapters and each chapter is pretty short. There aren't too many words on a page to make a child feel overwhelmed. The story is easy to follow and full of funny situations that children will enjoy.
June 18, 2018
Cute book. I noticed there are a lot of Mr. Putter & Tabby books. These are great beginning reading books. This one is about how Tabby and Zeke chase a squirrel and chipmunk through a freshly painted porch. I think it will make kids giggle, it did me. The ptures are cute and brightly colored. Nice book.
February 1, 2011
We've really enjoyed the Mr. Putter and Tabby series and this is a funny story. The illustrations are colorful and the narrative is simple for beginning readers. We loved the pink squirrel and blue chipmunk!
Read
April 23, 2012This book is great for kids. It is filled with great illustrations and humor. It is about a man and his cat who end up painting more than just their porch.
Again this children's book is great for kids!!!!
Again this children's book is great for kids!!!!
November 30, 2012
Mr. Putter wants to paint his porch. He has a bucket of pink paint, a big brush, and some rags. And he has Tabby to keep him company. Everything is perfect, until a squirrel scampers onto the porch and catches Tabby’s eye. .
March 23, 2016
Amazon Book Description:
Mr. Putter wants to paint his porch. He has a bucket of pink paint, a big brush, and some rags. And he has Tabby to keep him company. Everything is perfect, until a squirrel scampers onto the porch and catches Tabby’s eye. . . .
Mr. Putter wants to paint his porch. He has a bucket of pink paint, a big brush, and some rags. And he has Tabby to keep him company. Everything is perfect, until a squirrel scampers onto the porch and catches Tabby’s eye. . . .
January 10, 2019
My favorite part of this book was when the squirrel and chipmunk ran around the porch and Tabby chased them around and there were lots of pawprints. At last when they painted the porch, a pink squirrel and a blue chipmunk walked by.
March 1, 2015
One of our favorites of this series. So funny! L read this aloud to me 2/28
February 22, 2015
Great level 3. Very fun!
Read
September 7, 2012One of the best Mr. Putter's.
May 15, 2013
One of my favorite early reader series. Sweet, gentle stories that many kids love, perfect for kindergarten through 2d grade.
April 4, 2016
This book is in the collection of Mr. Pitter and Tabby books. I like all the Mr. Putter and Tabby books because they have great problems. The problems aren't scary and they are very easy to fix.
April 8, 2016
Hahahahaha!
Oh my lands, if you have EVER painted anything, this book will be like balm to your soul.
Mr. Putter is a character I love more at every meeting.
Oh my lands, if you have EVER painted anything, this book will be like balm to your soul.
Mr. Putter is a character I love more at every meeting.
November 29, 2016
In this story the porch gets painted.
May 21, 2017
The author's humor, warm-heartedness, and comic timing keep me coming back. Funny and a page-turner.
December 28, 2017
One of my favorite Mr. Putter and Tabby books! That chipmunk...
April 30, 2018
Painting the porch is a rough job, especially when wildlife intervenes. Charming as always, this series never disappoints. Love reading with my daughter.
July 13, 2018
It was really great because he kept spilling the paint.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews