*Book cover picture from Goodreads.com
We are big fans of this series in my house. I am actually sad it took me so long to learn about it because I did not read any of these until last year. It is so nice to find a lower level early reader chapter book that has good illustrations and a good story line (not goofy but still funny). In this book, Mr. Putter wants to make soup, but his stove is not working, so he heads to his neighbor's (Mrs. Teaberry) house. Unfortunately, anything with Mrs. Teaberry comes along with Zeke, who is not the perfect pup she thinks he is. Meanwhile, I (and my boys) love Zeke. He is so funny because he is what you might call a precocious dog. This book is a nice touch of funny and good lesson (all the books show the importance of love and friendship really), and Rylant does a good job of making the pets have personalities and intelligence without making the books unrealistic. I highly recommend this series and this book in particular; they are fun reads and good introductions to the chapter book world!