Catch the Cold Read online

  Mr. Putter & Tabby Catch the Cold

  Cynthia Rylant

  * * *

  Mr. Putter & Tabby

  Catch the Cold

  * * *

  CYNTHIA RYLANT

  Mr. Putter & Tabby

  Catch the Cold

  Illustrated by

  ARTHUR HOWARD

  Harcourt, Inc.

  San Diego New York London

  * * *

  For Eustathia, who makes people better

  —C.R.

  For Joan, Sarah, Uncle Jeremy, and Joey

  —A.H.

  Text copyright © 2002 by Cynthia Rylant

  Illustrations copyright © 2002 by Arthur Howard

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in

  any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy,

  recording, or any information storage and retrieval system,

  without permission in writing from the publisher

  Requests for permission to make

  copies of any part of the work should be mailed to the following address:

  Permissions Department, Harcourt, Inc.,

  6277 Sea Harbor Drive,

  Orlando, Florida 32887-6777.

  www.HarcourtBooks.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Rylant, Cynthia.

  Mr. Putter & Tabby catch the cold/Cynthia Rylant;

  illustrated by Arthur Howard,

  p.cm.

  Summary: When Mr. Putter catches a cold, his friend Mrs. Teaberry

  sends over some special treats to help him feel better.

  [1. Cold (Disease)—Fiction. 2. Sick—Fiction.]

  I. Howard, Arthur, ill. II. Title.

  PZ7.R982Msc 2002

  [E]—dc21 2001002949

  ISBN 0-15-202414-X

  Manufactured in China

  C E G H F D

  * * *

  1

  Blowing and Hacking

  2

  Mrs. Teaberry

  3

  Zeke

  4

  The Best Cold

  1

  Blowing and Hacking

  Mr. Putter and his fine cat, Tabby, loved the snow.

  It made them feel so cozy.

  Mr. Putter made warm tea and warm muffins.

  He lit a fire.

  And he and Tabby watched the snow fall.

  One day Mr. Putter went out in the snow without his hat.

  He wanted to read the funnies in the newspaper so much that he forgot it.

  When he came back in, he said to Tabby, "Tabby, I forgot my hat. I hope I don't catch a cold."

  Tabby sat on Mr. Putter's head to keep it warm while he read the funnies.

  She tried to help him not catch a cold.

  She did her best.

  But Mr. Putter caught one, anyway.

  The next day he was sneezing and coughing and blowing and hacking.

  He felt miserable.

  "Colds aren't so much fun when you're old," he said to Tabby.

  When Mr. Putter was a boy, he had almost liked colds.

  He always got spoiled.

  His mother brought him warm soup and minty tea and adventure books.

  Mr. Putter loved adventure books.

  But now he was old.

  He was old with a cold.

  And he had no one to spoil him.

  2

  Mrs. Teaberry

  Mr. Putter's phone rang.

  He picked it up and said, "Ah-choo!"

  "Mr. Putter?" someone said.

  It was Mrs. Teaberry, Mr. Putter's good friend and neighbor.

  "I caught a cold," said Mr. Putter.

  "Oh my goodness!" said Mrs. Teaberry.

  "I'll be right over!"

  "Oh no," said Mr. Putter.

  "You shouldn't come over. Mrs. Teaberry.

  You might catch my cold. And it's not good to be old with a cold."

  Tabby rubbed against Mr. Putter to help him feel better.

  "Ah-choo!" went Mr. Putter in Tabby's face.

  She decided to stay on his lap.

  "You need someone to look after you," said Mrs. Teaberry.

  "I'll be fine," said Mr. Putter.

  "You need someone," said Mrs. Teaberry.

  "I'll be fine," said Mr. Putter.

  "You really need someone," said Mrs. Teaberry.

  "I'll really be fine," said Mr. Putter.

  "I'll send Zeke," said Mrs. Teaberry.

  "What?" said Mr. Putter.

  3

  Zeke

  Twenty minutes later there was a scratching at the door.

  It was Mrs. Teaberry's good dog, Zeke.

  He had a Thermos strapped to his back and he was wagging his tail.

  "Thank you, Zeke!" said Mr. Putter, patting Zeke's head.

  Zeke wagged and went home.

  Mr. Putter and Tabby looked inside the Thermos.

  "Chicken soup!" said Mr. Putter.

  "Hooray!"

  Tabby purred.

  She loved chicken soup.

  Mr. Putter and Tabby were having their soup when there was another scratching at the door.

  It was Zeke again.

  He had another Thermos strapped to his back.

  "Thank you, Zeke!" said Mr. Putter.

  Zeke wagged and went home.

  Mr. Putter and Tabby looked inside the Thermos.

  "Peppermint tea with honey sticks!" said Mr. Putter. "Yippee!"

  Tabby purred.

  She loved honey sticks.

  Mr. Putter and Tabby ate their soup and drank their tea.

  Mr. Putter was feeling much better.

  But he wished he had one more thing.

  He felt so selfish.

  But he couldn't help it.

  He phoned Mrs. Teaberry.

  "Mrs. Teaberry, the soup and the tea are wonderful," he said.

  "Wonderful!" said Mrs. Teaberry.

  "But...," said Mr. Putter.

  "But?" asked Mrs. Teaberry.

  "Would you perhaps have...?" said Mr. Putter.

  "Would I perhaps have...?" said Mrs. Teaberry.

  "An adventure book?" asked Mr. Putter.

  "Of course!" said Mrs. Teaberry.

  "You do?" asked Mr. Putter.

  "Yes, I do," said Mrs. Teaberry. "But the book really belongs to Zeke."

  "Zeke?" asked Mr. Putter.

  "It's about a brave dog," said Mrs. Teaberry.

  "It's Zeke's favorite."

  "Ummm," said Mr. Putter, "do you think he would loan it to me?"

  "Only if he gets to come along," said Mrs. Teaberry. "Zeke is very attached to his book."

  Mr. Putter thought about it.

  The adventure book came with Zeke attached.

  Could he manage Zeke and a cold?

  Would Zeke be good?

  Or would he be ... Zeke?

  Mr. Putter was desperate.

  "Of course Zeke may come with his book," said Mr. Putter.

  "Wonderful!" said Mrs. Teaberry.

  A few minutes later there was a scratching at the door.

  4

  The Best Cold

  It was surprising.

  It was amazing.

  Zeke was good!

  Zeke was fine!

  Zeke was perfect!

  (As long as you were reading his adventure book to him.)

  Mr. Putter and Tabby and Zeke curled up in Mr. Putter's bed and read all day long.

  Mr. Putter sounded a little funny with his stuffy nose.

  But Zeke and Tabby didn't mind.

  They wanted to hear about the brave dog.

  Mr. Putter read and read while Tabby purred and Zeke
wagged.

  And when the brave dog's story was over, they all snuggled up and went to sleep—full of soup and tea and adventure.

  It was the best cold Mr. Putter ever caught.

  * * *

  The illustrations in this book were done in pencil, watercolor,

  gouache, and Sennelier pastels on 250-gram cotton rag paper.

  The display type was set in Artcraft.

  The text type was set in Berkeley Old Style Book.

  Color separations by Colourscan Co. Pte. Ltd., Singapore

  Manufactured by South China Printing Company, Ltd., China

  This book was printed on totally chlorine-free Nymolla Matte Art paper.

  Production supervision by Sandra Grebenar and Pascha Gerlinger

  Designed by Arthur Howard and Carolyn Stafford

  * * *

 

 

  Cynthia Rylant, Catch the Cold

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