Make a Wish
Cynthia Rylant
Mr. Putter & Tabby Make a Wish
Cynthia Rylant
* * *
Mr. Putter & Tabby
Make a Wish
* * *
CYNTHIA RYLANT
Mr. Putter & Tabby
Make a Wish
Illustrated by
ARTHUR HOWARD
Harcourt, Inc.
Orlando Austin New York San Diego London
* * *
For Sarah and Audrey, with love
—C. R.
* * *
Text copyright © 2005 by Cynthia Rylant
Illustrations copyright © 2008, 2005 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 submitted online at www.harcourt.com/contact or
mailed to the following address: Permissions Department,
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company,
6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, Florida 32887-6777.
www.HarcourtBooks.com
First Harcourt paperback edition 2006
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rylant, Cynthia.
Mr. Putter & Tabby make a wish/Cynthia Rylant;
illustrated by Arthur Howard,
p. cm.
Summary: Mr. Putter thinks he is too old to celebrate his birthday,
but when he remembers some of his past birthdays, he changes his mind.
[1. Birthdays—Fiction. 2. Old age—Fiction. 3. Neighbors—Fiction.
4. Cats—Fiction.] I. Title: Mr. Putter and Tabby make a wish.
II. Title: Mr. Putter & Tabby make a wish. III. Howard, Arthur, ill. IV. Title.
PZ7.R982Msg 2005
[E]—dc22 2004010983
ISBN 978-0-15-202426-0
ISBN 978-0-15-205443-4 (pb)
Manufactured in China
C E G I J H F D
D F H J K I G E (pb)
* * *
1
Good Heavens!
2
Can You Wait?
3
Finally
1
Good Heavens!
It was a beautiful morning.
Mr. Putter and his fine cat, Tabby,
were eating raisin crumpets and apple jam
and reading the morning paper.
Mr. Putter looked at the date of
the paper: October 2.
"Good heavens, Tabby!" said Mr. Putter.
"It's my birthday!"
Tabby looked at Mr. Putter and purred.
She was a little messy from apple jam.
But she was glad it was Mr. Putter's birthday,
if birthdays meant apple jam.
Mr. Putter put the paper down
and began to think.
He thought of all his many birthdays—
especially those when he was a boy.
He had loved birthdays then.
He always got a really good present,
like a scooter or a model plane kit.
He got a cake with candles.
He got balloons.
He got company.
Birthdays were perfect days.
But now Mr. Putter was old.
Too old for scooters and model plane kits.
Too old for balloons.
Too old for a cake with candles.
(He'd need a fire hose to put them out.)
Mr. Putter was just too old for a birthday.
He would not think about it.
He would not think about cake
or candles
or balloons
or model plane kits.
He would enjoy his breakfast
with Tabby instead.
"More jam, Tabby?" asked Mr. Putter.
Tabby purred.
Jam was nice.
Jam was fine.
Mr. Putter would just have more jam.
2
Can You Wait?
Mr. Putter couldn't help it.
He wanted more than jam for his birthday.
"I am too old for birthdays, Tabby,"
said Mr. Putter
"But I want one anyway."
Mr. Putter decided he could at least
have some company.
He would invite his neighbor Mrs. Teaberry
and her good dog, Zeke, to tea.
Mr. Putter called Mrs. Teaberry.
He told her it was his birthday.
He invited her to tea.
"Wonderful!" said Mrs. Teaberry.
"But first I have to do the dishes.
Can you wait?"
Mr. Putter said he could wait.
He finished reading the paper.
Mrs. Teaberry phoned.
"I have to curl my hair," she said.
"Can you wait?"
Mr. Putter said he could wait.
He took a little snooze.
Mrs. Teaberry phoned.
"I have to unclog the tub," she said.
"Can you wait?"
Mr. Putter said he could wait.
He read a book.
Mrs. Teaberry phoned.
"I have to find Zeke's ball," she said.
"Can you wait?"
Mr. Putter said he could wait.
He clipped his nails.
Mrs. Teaberry phoned.
"I'll be there soon," she said.
"Can you wait?"
Mr. Putter wanted to say, "NO."
Mr. Putter wanted to say,
"It's my birthday and I CAN'T WAIT!"
But Mr. Putter was nice.
He said he could wait.
(Even though he didn't want to.)
Mr. Putter was getting older by the minute.
Soon it would be tomorrow.
And tomorrow was somebody else's
birthday!
Mr. Putter looked at Tabby, who was curled
up in a bowl.
"So far, this is a very strange birthday,"
Mr. Putter said to Tabby.
3
Finally
Mr. Putter thought Mrs. Teaberry and Zeke
would never come to tea.
He thought he would have to wait forever.
He thought he would be waiting
until his next birthday.
But finally the doorbell rang.
Mr. Putter opened the door.
"SURPRISE!"
It was Mrs. Teaberry and Zeke.
And Mrs. Teaberry was carrying
an ENORMOUS cake loaded with
DOZENS of candles.
Zeke had a present around his neck.
And balloons on his tail.
"I had to make you wait," said
Mrs. Teaberry, "so I could bake a cake."
Mr. Putter looked at all the candles.
"I'll need a fire hose
to put those out," he said.
When tea was served and he had
opened his present (a model plane kit!),
Mr. Putter blew out ALL of his candles.
It took five big breaths (plus some help
from Mrs. Teaberry's hat).
But he got them out.
"Did you make a wish?" asked Mrs. Teaberry.
Mr. Putter looked at Tabby
and at Mrs. Teaberry and at Zeke.
And he couldn't think of anything
to wish for.
He had everything.
(Even a model plane kit.)
Mr. Putter and Tabby and
Mrs. Teaberry and Zeke ate cake
for days and days.
And Mr. Putter built his model
plane almost perfectly.
(He just got a little mixed up
on the tail.)
It had been such a wonderful birthday.
Of all the birthdays in Mr. Putter's
long life, this one really had been...
WORTH THE WAIT!
The illustrations in this book were done in pencil,
watercolor, and gouache on 250-gram cotton rag paper.
The display type was set in Minya Nouvelle, Agenda, and Artcraft.
The text type was set in Berkeley Old Style Book.
Color separations by Bright Arts Ltd., Hong Kong
Manufactured by South China Printing Company, Ltd., China
Production supervision by Ginger Boyer
Series jacket design by Kristine Brogno and Michele Wetherbee
Jacket design by Brad Barrett
Designed by Arthur Howard and Scott Piehl
Cynthia Rylant, Make a Wish
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