Mr. Putter and Tabby Clear the Decks

Title:  Mr. Putter and Tabby Clear the Decks
Author: Cynthia Rylant
Illustrator: Arthur Howard
Copyright: 2011
ISBN: 978-0-15-206715-1

If you think that all Cynthia Rylant writes is books about boys and dogs (Henry and Mudge) you couldn't be more wrong!  In fact she also writes about bunnies, cats, snow, and pigs.  Occasionally she even writes fiction books for older readers, and picture books for younger readers.  Though today none of that is important.  All that really matters is Mr. Putter and Tabby. 

Mr. Putter is a lovable old man, and Tabby is his equally lovable old cat.  Together they make quite the pair.  In Mr. Putter and Tabby Clear the Decks they are bored, and itchy, and not from fleas.  Plus they NEED orange creamsicles.  Anyone who has ever had an orange creamsicle will certainly understand the dilemma.  sometimes people (and cats) simply must have creamsicles, especially in the summer when it is so very hot!

Not knowing what else to do they go to Mrs. Teaberry's house.  Mrs. Teaberry and her dog Zeke always know what to do and today is no exception.  She has planned an adventure that everyone will enjoy on such a hot day.  Mr. Putter, Tabby, Mrs. Teaberry, and Zeke are all going sightseeing on a boat.  Perhaps they will even find an orange creamsicle to make the day complete.

Fly Guy vs. The Fly Swatter

Title:  Fly Guy vs. The Fly Swatter
Author: Tedd Arnold
Copyright: 2011
ISBN:978-0-545-31286-8

Fly Guy vs. The Fly Swatter follows in the long and buzzworthy Fly Guy series.  While I am not really a fan of books that have insects and bugs as the main character I make an exception for Fly Guy.  I admit that I was originally drawn to the series because of the very shiny covers (which can apparently be a great marketing technique).  Fly Guy is a slightly unusual Easy Reader series since it is composed of all dialogue and no rhyming!  So for parents who would rather die then read Fox in Socks one more time to your child, Fly Guy may be the perfect solution.  To truly appreciate the art (and absurdity) of Fly Guy you must read book one Hi Fly Guy, which was a Theodor Suess Geisel Honor Book. 

While Fly Guy does steal the show in every book, there is a second main character, his best friend Buzz.  Buzz has a habit of accidentally bringing Fly Guy with him places.  Today Fly Guy has been accidentally locked inside his backpack and ends up on an adventure to school and then a field trip.  Buzz and Fly Guy were both excited about the field trip until they get to their destination: the Fantastic Flyswatter Factory! 

Can the day possibly get any worse?  Well, when the factory decides to demonstrate their flyswatter of the future, the Super Swatter 6000 Fly Guy knows that things are really bad.  Can Fly Guy save the day or will the field trip and Buzz's best friend be ruined forever?  You will have to read Fly Guy vs. The Fly Swatter to find out.

Joe and Sparky Get New Wheels

Title: Joe and Sparky Get New Wheels
Author:  Jamie Michalak
Illustrator: Frank Remkiewicz
Copyright: 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3387-5

Typically I don't review easy readers because for the most part they are unimpressive.  However, for the month of March it is all about easy readers and today I am bringing you an excellent book called Joe and Sparky Get New Wheels.  Sparky is an adorable turtle who is a little bit shy, very safety conscious, and very green.  Joe is a giraffe who loves to explore the world around him, and he is always keen to leave the zoo in order to go on adventures.  Joe and Sparky is separated into four chapters which are capable to stand on their own as separate adventures. 

One day in Safari Land a bright yellow Super Flash 5000 arrives at the zoo.  Joe spots the car and knows for certain that today is his lucky day.  The contest he entered weeks ago, that he almost forgot about, well he won!  At least he thinks he won, why else would such a nice shiny car show up.  When Sparky and Joe get in the car they discover that Joe in fact won two prizes: the car and a beautiful hat all covered in fruit!  This book is filled with illustrations that will help show children parts of the story that aren't written about such as the woman who just got out of the car and left her hat on the seat. 

Regardless of who actually owns the car Joe and Sparky do just what any two zoo animals would do, they get in and drive away.

"Wheeee!" said Joe.
"SLOW DOWN! SAFETY FIRST!" Sparky shouted.
"Where do you want to go?"
Sparky though and thought.  "To my pond."
"You are always at your pond.  Let's go somewhere different.  How about that big building?  It looks busy.  It must be fun." 
"Sitting on a warm rock can be fun," Sparky Suggested.
"No," said Joe sadly.  "Warm rocks are not fun."

In this manner Joe and Sparky goes on to explore a mall, a hamburger joint, a car wash, and an amusement park.  Finally they end up back at the zoo to check out the pond.  It is the only place they haven't gone that day. 

So come to the library, check out Joe and Sparky, and let me know if you agree that it is in fact a superior easy reader!

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

Title:  The Lorax
Author:  Dr. Seuss
Copyright: 1971

In honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday on March 2nd, (he would be 108 if he wasn't dead) I will review a pile of Easy Readers as well as a few Dr. Seuss classics, and their movie counterparts. 

The Lorax was originally written in 1971 and teaches children a valuable lesson about protecting the environment.  I have always thought that The Lorax was a happy book since it has a happy ending.  Some children however don't like it because the book feels sad.  The book features the Lorax, a magical creature who speaks for the trees, the Once-ler who's greed leads to the destruction of the Truffala trees and forest, and a young boy (in the movie his name is Ted) who wants to know what happened to the trees.  The book is written in typical Seussical fashion using rhymes and a few made up words here and there. 


If you don't know, the movie version of The Lorax came out on March 2nd 2012.  It features Danny DeVito, Zach Efron, Taylor Swift and a few other big name actors.  The movie takes Dr. Seuss' original book and turns it into an hour and a half long feature film.  Judging by the response of the audience members the movie was a bit too long for children under five.  However, the animations are adorable, and the plot remains mostly the same.  Sadly, what the producers removed from the film was the traditional Seuss language.  I didn't notice any rhyming in the movie and it was severely lacking for that.  All in all though, it was a well done movie and I was very happy that it was animated and didn't feature Jim Carey!