Mr. Putter & Tabby Take the Train

Mr. Putter & Tabby #8

by Cynthia Rylant, Arthur Howard

Mr. Putter and his fine cat, Tabby, are going for a train ride with their neighbors, Mrs. Teaberry and her good dog, Zeke. They've planned the perfect afternoon trip. But when they get to the station, they're in for a big surprise: No pets are allowed on the train! It looks like the trip is off, until Mr. Putter comes up with a clever idea. . . .

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Cats, Fiction, Humor, 1st Grade

44 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1998

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 2 out of 5]

I usually love Mr Putter and Tabby but this one was a huge disappointment. I didn't think the solution to the problem of "no pets allowed on the train" was a good one. Smuggling the cat and dog on board?! What kind of lesson is that teaching kids?

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love this series. But teaching kids to break the rules is not a good idea. I'm sure there's a good reason for there being an injunction against pets on the train.

[Amar Pai · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are oddly soothing. Asha brought several home from school. I like the friendship between Mr. Putter and Mrs. Teaberry. LOL'd at the picture of her dog in his "travel jacket"

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

First sentence: One day Mr. Putter and his fine cat, Tabby, were cooking oatmeal when Mrs. Teaberry called. Mrs. Teaberry was Mr. Putter's friend and neighbor. "I have an idea!" she told Mr. Putter.

Premise/plot: At first Mr. Putter is nervous to hear Mrs. Teaberry's latest idea, after all, not all her ideas are good ones--in his opinion. But her newest idea is a good idea, she wants them all to take a train ride. Will Mr. Putter, Mrs. Teaberry, Zeke and Tabby enjoy a train ride together? Or will a no pets allowed rule spoil their plans?

My thoughts: There were elements in this one I just loved. For example, I loved, loved, LOVED the flashback to when Mr. Putter was a little boy. He was CUTE. And I loved Mr. Putter's honesty. "Mr. Putter was not sure he wanted to hear Mrs. Teaberry's idea. Sometimes her ideas were odd and involved running fast, or wearing feathers, or having purple toes." But I didn't quite love this one as much as previous titles in the series.

[The Reading Countess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars. I can't help it. I mean, it IS Cynthia Rylant for crying out loud. And Mrs. Teaberry is up to her old shenanigans when she invites Mr. Putter (and their pets) on a four hour train ride. Mr. Putter accepts, although we know he is concerned about the feasibility of pets on a train. The two buddies come up with plan B when they are informed that, in fact, pets cannot be taken on a train.
Youngest literally busted a gut laughing at Mrs. Teaberry and Mr. Putter as they put plan B into motion. Mr. Putter is fast paced enough for my active youngest son. I love this series!

[Jim Shaner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Putter clearly enjoys train travel. The illustrator depicted a flashback where Putter, as a youth, was not content to just watch the scenery roll by. He was clutching the railroad's timetable, a detailed listing of station stops, including their milepost numbers. I can identify with his passion for the rails... and his companionship with cats.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story about a couple of old neighbors. I'll have to check out this series some more!

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Riding on trains was so fun as a kid. I still enjoy them, but the little trains at the town parks that go around in one breathe, don't quite cut it anymore. They sure did when I was younger though. And they make for a great incentive to finishing a book. (hint, hint)

Reading Level: 1st - 3rd grades

Cleanliness: Mr. Putter and Mrs. Teaberry sneak their pets onto the train after being told pets aren't allowed.

[Julia Orr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mrs. Teaberry brought a tea basket on the train that purred. And Mr. Putter brought a really lumpy backpack. The backpack decided to crawl under the seat and the tea basket kept playing with the window shade. This was funny because Zeke (Mrs. Teaberry's dog) was IN Mr. Putter's backpack. And Tabby (Mr. Putter's cat) was in the tea basket. And Tabby was playing with the window shade with her tail!

[Christopher Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fiction
Primary Grades (2-3)
This is the first book of this series I have read, and I would say I enjoyed it. It wasn't super exciting and the "twist" was not that surprising. I would think about adding this to my classroom and focus on using it for struggling readers as a series they can read. It was cute to hide the pets and break the rules but not that practical of a lesson (if I was looking to teach about morality).

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr Putter and Tabby are persuaded by his neighbor Mrs. Teaberry and her dog Zeke to take a train ride. The trip would be two hours one way, and two hours back. When they arrived at the train station they were told by the ticket agent that no pets were allowed on the train. Mr. Putter thinks of an idea to still ride the train.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alissa liked how the backpack snored and the picnic basket meowed.

[Ann M. Noser · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable series to read with my third grade daughter. Looking forward to more!

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3* art
3* story

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favorites. I challenge you to read this (at any age) and not burst out laughing. It's perfect.

[sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

people be so mad about this book sometimes you just gotta break the rules

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great adventure with Mr. Putter and his cat Tabby.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

We will miss reading the adventures of Mr. Putter and Tabby.
We loved reading all of them.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

We had some convos about Mr. Putter and Mrs. Teaberry sneaking animals aboard the train against the rules ...but it's hard to be upset with this foursome. ;-)

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series! It features elderly people and their pets. One star off because the people don't follow society's rules.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

What are banana crunchies?

[Lauren McKinney]

The Mr. Putter & Tabby books are a series dedicated to helping children become proficient readers. These books are designed to help children transition into harder books. The text is fairly big for children to easily read and follow along with. The books are about the adventures of Mr. Putter, an elderly man, and Tabby, his cat. This particular book is about their adventures while taking the train. Mrs. Teaberry, Mr. Putter's neighbor, convinces Mr. Putter to take Tabby and join her on a train ride with her and her dog Zeke. Mr. Putter was worried about this idea because Mrs. Teaberry always had extravagant ideas and usually led to some kind of adventure. They took the train and went to another town to have a picnic. This book introduces the idea of chapters, or a defined break in a story. Chapters mean an author is getting ready to introduce a new idea or important part in the story. I enjoyed reading this book and so did my first graders. An easy read with a good story line. It has the added benefit of having more stories if children enjoy them.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

#8 in the series

Who knows when we first read this. Our boys were neither discouraged nor tempted to use deceit after reading this one. In fact, they found it funny that Mr. Putter and Mrs. Teaberry were being so naughty. And, truth-be-told, their grandparents bend the rules all the time. We turn a blind eye and act like we don't notice the extra treats and desserts and later bedtimes.. This one rang true. This tendency of the elderly to dote on their grandchildren (or pets) is one of the reasons kids find grandparents and older people in general so endearing, they bend the rules... for them. Makes the little guys feel special.

Amazon Book Description:
Mr. Putter and his fine cat, Tabby, are going for a train ride with their neighbors, Mrs. Teaberry and her good dog, Zeke. They've planned the perfect afternoon trip. But when they get to the station, they're in for a big surprise: No pets are allowed on the train! It looks like the trip is off, until Mr. Putter comes up with a clever idea.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a pretty cute book, but I think my son was a little lost. Mr. Putter and his cat Tabby are friends with their next-door neighbors, Mrs. Teaberry and her bulldog Zeke. Mrs. Teaberry calls up Mr. Putter and asks him to join her on a short train trip. He reminisces and says how much he loves trains, even though he’s not been on one since he was a boy, and then agrees to go if they can take their respective pets. She assures him that it is possible but when they go to buy tickets, the ticket seller says no pets allowed. So they smuggle them on-board and have a grand old time. Recommended for ages 4-7, 3 stars.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun story about Mr. Putter and Tabby. It is fairly predictable, but still entertaining. Our girls loved that Mr. Putter and Mrs. Teaberry were brash enough to sneak their pets on the train and they loved that the backpack snored and the picnic basket played with the window shade pull. Funny, silly and slightly naughty (breaking the rules!)

While harmless in this case, depicting a blatant disregard for the rules isn't likely to be the best story for younger children. We liked the book anyway.

[Chantelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!!!

[Rosa Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

These Mr Putter books are part of a series, and they are really cute! Mr Putter is an elderly gentleman with a cat and his neighbor is an elderly lady and she has a dog. They are all best friends and end up doing fun things together. In this one they want to go on a train trip but they find out later that the animals can't go but they figure out a way to get their fun on the train with all of them. My 3 year old granddaughter and I enjoyed this story

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Putter and Tabby's stories are a favorite for my early readers. Who wouldn't love the stories of an elderly man, his cat, his adventurous but caring elderly neighbor - Mrs. Teaberry and her dog Zeke?

Mr. Putter and Tabby are all for slow and simple in their life, but somehow it never ends up that way. Always an entertaining read.

This time Mrs. Teaberry convinces Mr. Putter to take a train and of course, she says, their animals will be permitted. Riiiight.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

We absolutely adore Mr. Putter & Tabby! We have read lots of them (not all - but getting close!) and there hasn't been one that we haven't enjoyed. I like the illustrations, the plots, the characters, the length. I like that it is simple and all of the characters get along. It is just perfect! Both my 5 year old and my 3 year old adore them. I highly recommend the series.

[FM Family · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine and nice but nothing spectacular. My two year old enjoyed it though, as she has the Mr. Putter stories, overall. Got this one because it was about a train ride though 2/3 of the book is about getting on the train rather than actually being on it. But I liked the idea of just taking the train together for fun.