After reading some Toot and Puddle books when I visited my sister’s house, I wanted to find a few more. I didn’t know there were so many in the series! But after requesting them from the library, I found out that some were derived from a television show based on the original characters. (I didn’t know there was a Toot and Puddle show!) So these books are shorter, and simpler, and the illustrations don’t have the same charm and grace (though they are cute enough and the pigs capture the original style quite well I thought). Some of the side characters are a bit cartoony, and the backgrounds are far more simplistic, but I still liked them. And I learned a new word: ‘teleplay’ from the title pages: based on the teleplay by Stu Kreiger. Teleplay is the written script used in producing a television program. Like a screenplay but of course much shorter.
Well, here’s the books:
The Great Cheese Chase
Puddle usually stays at home when his friend Toot goes traveling, but this time he goes along! They visit Paris, where Puddle wants to find a world-renowned cheese shop. First they see some famous sights, then they go looking for the cheese shop. Along the way they sample fruit in the market, buy baguettes (and have a sword fight with them) and eat fancy crepes. When they finally arrive at the cheese shop, they’re too full to eat any cheese! So they take a variety of samples home to share with their housemate the parrot Tulip.
The Mystery of the Disappearing Swing
Toot goes on a trip to Easter Island. Puddle gets inspired to make a tire swing for his little cousin Opal to enjoy over the pond. It takes most of the day so Opal has to wait to swing and swim next morning. But when they get up and go to the pond, the tire is missing from the rope! They look everywhere and can’t find it. Puddle ties on another tire, but the next day that one is gone too. They set a trap to find out who is taking the tires, but fall asleep while waiting. Then a friend finds the tires- down the hill. And they all figure out what had happened. It was a cute idea, but fell really flat for me- because I know that woodpeckers wouldn’t be going after birdseed!
Toot’s Tour of India
Puddle is tending flowers in the garden, when Toot leaves on a trip to India. He rides an elephant around to see all the sights (it’s her job, she’s not driven by a human). He shares fruit and water with the elephant, and enjoys his time with her. At the end of a long hot day, she takes him to a hidden pool in the forest where the elephants bathe. Toot is relieved to finally cool off. When he gets back home, Puddle greets him in the garden where the flowers have grown much taller, and reminds him of how their friendship is like the garden- both grow when they’re taken care of. (Again, I was a bit irked at an inaccurate detail- the garden at the beginning of the story was a lot of bare ground with flowers regularly spaced apart, the blooms right at soil level. When Toot comes back home, the garden is full of tall plants with lots of leaves and flowers at their tops. Um, plants don’t really grow like that. The earlier picture should have showed little green shoots or small plants with just leaves and maybe buds, in my opinion. But I’m being nitpicky).
Take a Leap!
Toot is taking skydiving lessons and invites Puddle to come along. Puddle says he will, but just to watch. However some of the lesson looks fun- first they jump on a trampoline, then leap off a relatively short platform with all the gear, to practice landing techniques. Puddle joins in these activities, but when it comes to actual skydiving, he stays on the ground. And then it’s Toot up in airplane who has a moment of fear and hesitates. The instructor reminds him that he practiced everything and they’ll be doing it together, so then Toot has the courage to jump. Puddle is cheering him on when he makes a perfect landing and gets congratulated. Toot suggests they do their next adventure together. It was sweet, but not much else to the story.
