Children's Book Review: Poppleton

I hope you or your children have already discovered Poppleton, by Cynthia Rylant, an award-winning author. The Poppleton series is one of my family's favorites. Even my husband would be excited if we announced that we found a new title at the library. They are hidden away in the easy reader section (along with some other very clever Rylant series).

If you haven't met Poppleton, let me introduce you. He is a very friendly and simple minded pig who lives in a small town with his friends Cherry Sue, a llama, Fillmore, a goat, and Hudson, a mouse. He goes to the library once a week to read adventure books and brings a stopwatch for the slow parts and chapstick for the dry parts. When his friend Fillmore is sick, Poppleton, always the faithful friend, helps him take a pill. But the pill needs to be hidden, Fillmore says, in something soft, and sweet, and lemony - with raspberry filling.

The characters are all delightful and pleasant, and the stories are light-hearted and make you feel good. Rylant's humor is refreshing, and the illustrations, by Mark Teague (of "How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight" fame) are wonderful. I hope you can read through all the books from Spring to Winter and inbetween, as Poppleton and his friends make a quilt, celebrate birthdays, watch their icicles grow, invite migrating geese in for cookies, buy a coat for a BIG pig and feel proud about it, take a holiday to the beach with a club of card-playing ladies, and overall just enjoy life and each other's company. You'll be glad you did.

Side note: after you've finished the Poppleton books, take a look at the Mr. Putter and Tabby series, also by Rylant, with equally delightful stories and characters.