Modern Monday--Toot and Puddle

Toot & Puddle by Holly Hobbie
Little, Brown, and Company, 1997

For years I've been buying my mom the latest Toot and Puddle books. She may be 61, (Her birthday is today, as a matter of fact) but that doesn't stop her love of a good picture book. Perhaps this is where I get it.

We loved Holly Hobbie in the 70s and her charm (the artist, not the character) is not limited to those early images. Interestingly, the author looks exactly as I imagined her. In the cover photo of the Toot and Puddle book she has a sweet smile, straight chin-length hair, and round wire glasses. She looks bookish in a modern and lovely way. Here's a more recent image and interview with Powells.

Toot and Puddle are two pigs who live together as best friends in a house in Woodcock Pocket. Puddle is a bit of a homebody and Toot is wildly adventurous. Together they are a perfect balance. This first book is told over the course of a year when Toot goes off on a trip to see the world A postcard arrives home to share his adventures and then we see what Puddle is doing back at Woodcock Pocket. Both friends truly embrace life in their own ways and by December, they have a fond reunion. Hobbie's attention to detail, her choice of colors, the light and liveliness of her illustrations make every book a visual treat. If you've not read a Toot and Puddle book, run don't walk to your local library or perhaps a bookstore. You won't be disappointed.