Fun Fall Stories!

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. Now, this may have something to do with the fact that my  birthday is in October, or it may be that I've always adored the changing glorious orange and reds of fall leaves, crisp weather, and bright sunshine. More than likely, it's both!
For all you moms of young children, ages 3 -5 (read aloud) and 6-9 (on their own), here is a fun little fall book I love. By the way, you should hear my 5 & 6 year old grandsons shriek with laughter when Mr. Putter begins zinging those apples over the house! I think boys intuitively love slingshots.

Mr. Putter & Tabby Pick the Pears by Cynthia Rylant

 

Grade level & category: 

Grades: preschool-2nd;
American Literature;

Setting: Contemporary United States;
Quotes from book cover:
"If you have a young reader at your house who has yet to meet Mr. Putter and Tabby, you will not regret a visit to the nearest library or bookstore to check out this delightful series." —Home Education Magazine
"Winsome and warmhearted, these books could become instant favorites." —Publishers Weekly

Themes: 

Being innovative, hard work, being determined,  pears, fall harvest, neighbors, friendship, cats, pets, and elderly people.

Author biography: 

Cynthia Rylant was born in 1954 in Hopewell, Virginia. When she was four years old, her parents divorced, and her mother took her to live with her grandparents in Cool Ridge, West Virginia. Her grandparents' home had no electricity or running water, and because her family did not own a car, she never traveled far from home.
Though she didn't have access to many books, she did develop a love of reading through the comic books she could get at the local drugstore.
She attended college at the University of Charleston, and later completed her Master's degree in English at Marshall University. After college she worked in the children's section of the Akron Public Library where she developed a love for children's books. It was then that she knew she wanted to write children's books of her own.
Her first book for children, When I Was Young in the Mountains, drew on her childhood at her grandparents' house in Cool Ridge. The book was published in 1982, and received a Caldecott Honor award for its illustrations. In 1988, she received a Newbery Honor award for A Fine White Dust, a book about a teenage boy who finds faith in Christ at a revival meeting, and then struggles with doubt after a personal betrayal. In 1993 she won the Newbery Medal for Missing May, a book depicting the struggles of a young girl dealing with the loss of a loved one. Among many other books and series, Cynthia Rylant has also written more than twenty-five books in the popular "Henry and Mudge" series and more than twenty in the "Mr. Putter and Tabby" series.

Book summary:

Mr. Putter is a wonderful elderly man with an adorably elderly cat named Tabby. He lives in a large Victorian house with her and they enjoy day to day life and tea together. Mr. Putter loves pear jelly, and it is fall and time to pick the pears! But when he tries, his legs don't cooperate. They've become cranky. Way too cranky for a ladder!

Now, cranky legs are no fun, especially when you want pear jelly. Mr. Putter ponders his situation and eventually begins noticing the apples on the ground, thinking of slingshots when he was a boy, and eying the pears as potential targets. What happens when he realizes he's shot every apple out of his yard? 

Read this delightful tale of good neighbors and delicious fall harvests and laugh along with your children!

Other books you might love if you love this one:

•  Mr. Putter and Tabby Pour the Tea
•  Mr. Putter and Tabby Walk the Dog
•  Mr. Putter and Tabby Bake the Cake
•  Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick the Pears
•  Mr. Putter and Tabby Fly the Plane
•  Mr. Putter and Tabby Row the Boat
•  Mr. Putter and Tabby Take the Train
•  Mr. Putter and Tabby Toot the Horn
•  Mr. Putter and Tabby Paint the Porch
•  Mr. Putter and Tabby Feed the Fish
•  Mr. Putter and Tabby Catch the Cold
•  Mr. Putter and Tabby Stir the Soup
•  Mr. Putter and Tabby Write the Book
•  Mr. Putter and Tabby Make a Wish
•  Mr. Putter and Tabby Spin the Yarn
•  Mr. Putter and Tabby See the Stars
•  Mr. Putter and Tabby Run the Race
•  Mr. Putter and Tabby Spill the Beans
•  Mr. Putter and Tabby Clear the Decks
•  Mr. Putter and Tabby Ring the Bell
•  Mr. Putter & Tabby Dance the Dance

To talk about: 

What problems does Mr. Putter experience when he wants to get his pears? How does he solve them? What are the results?
What kind of neighbor is Mrs. Teaberry? What makes a good neighbor?
Read Matthew 22:37-39. What do these verses teach us about how Jesus wants us to live? 

My favorite quote from the Book:

"He stepped onto the ladder, and his legs were so cranky he had to get right off again. "One trouble with being old," said Mr. Putter, "is being cranky." Tabby knew what he meant. She had a cranky tail. Some days it was so cranky it wouldn't swish. It just stuck in the air like a stick."