Books like Mr. Putter & Tabby Clear the Decks
By Cynthia Rylant
For families who know the particular restlessness of a long hot summer day, this is the gentle chaos of finding something — anything — to do about it. Warm, unhurried, quietly funny — summer boredom turned into a small caper.
A bird wakes up too grumpy to fly, eat, or play, so he stomps off on a walk instead — and one by one, Sheep, Rabbit, Raccoon, Beaver, and Fox tag along.
A crocodile and his bird friend travel to the United States to rescue a kidnapped cousin taken to an Exotic Animal Farm — and along the way, the bird himself gets captured.
Three children and their pets meet up, becoming fast friends who play, squabble, laugh, and make up again, the way real friendships actually go.
A gassy pet donkey gets stuck in a hole dug by a mole during a stroll, and accidentally kicks the ass of a snooty Scottish lass riding her prize-winning donkey nearby.
A man and his dog set out in a rowboat with lunch for three, only to get launched airborne when a playful whale surfaces right beneath them.
A child gets ten minutes to get ready for bed while a growing crowd of hamster tourists pours through the front door for a wild, wordless-countdown tour of the house.
A cookie-loving cub follows his nose to a backyard tea party, but the girl hosting it has strict rules about napkins, manners, and pinkies-out sipping before anyone gets a cookie.
Three friends creep through the woods to catch a beautiful bird with their nets, shushing a fourth companion who has a much gentler idea in mind.
A friendly little pick-up truck greets farm animals along a country road, beeping and honking hello — until he gets stuck in the muck and needs his animal friends to push him out.
An older man and his cat nap far too much, so they join a baseball team with their neighbor and her rowdy dog — but creaky knees and canine chaos threaten every play.
A witch and her cat fly happily on a broomstick until the wind blows away her hat, bow, and wand — and the animals who return them all want a ride, leaving no room to spare when a hungry dragon attacks.
A young spider records his everyday life in diary entries — spinning sticky webs, scaling walls, taking wind-catching lessons, and surviving the occasional run-in with a vacuum cleaner.
