Little Whistle's Christmas [Hardcover]

Cynthia Rylant (Author), Tim Bowers (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Little Whistle

It's Christmastime in Toytown. Lights are twinkling, bells are jingling, and children can't wait for Santa and his sleigh to arrive. Presents are wonderful, of course, but Little Whistle and his friends need something else for Christmas. Will Santa answer their letter and make their wishes come true?
In Little Whistle's first holiday adventure, Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant and artist Tim Bowers once again bring the cozy world of Toytown to life--and capture the magical spirit of Christmas.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-The endearing guinea pig that lives in a shop with toys that come alive at night is back. In this sweet, old-fashioned story, the toys write to Santa asking if he made them. On Christmas, a note arrives "from Santa, who made you," along with a magical box that always contains exactly what each toy needs. Like the previous titles in the series, this is light fare, but it has a more eventful story line. Soft edges and warm, muted colors in the illustrations enhance the comfortable, nostalgic mood. A cozy bedtime or holiday story.-M. W.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Praise for the Little Whistle books:
"Little Whistle will endear himself to readers."--Publishers Weekly

"Soothing, intimately small-scale, and just the ticket for a cozy bedtime read."--Kirkus Reviews

"The rich illustrations alone will invite repeated readings."--The New York Times Book Review

"Guaranteed to make you feel good."--Kirkus Reviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; First edition edition (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152045902
• ISBN-13: 978-0152045906
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,704,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cynthia Rylant is the author of numerous distinguished novels and picture books for young readers. In addition to her beginning-reader series: Henry and Mudge, Poppleton, and Mr. Putter and Tabby, as well as her Cobble Street Cousins early-chapter series, she is also the author of the Newbery Medal-winning Missing May, the Newbery Honor Book A Fine White Dust, and two Caldecott Honor-winning picture books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Did Santa Claus make Little Whistle's toy friends?, November 27, 2003

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Little Whistle's Christmas (Hardcover)

Everybody knows that up at the North Pole in Santa's workshop is where toys get made and that on Christmas Eve Santa Claus goes around the world distributing presents to all the good little boys and girls. But in "Little Whistle's Christmas," told by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Tim Bowers, we learn that is not always the end of the story.

Little Whistle is a real guinea pig who lives in Toytown. Each night, when the store closes, he puts on his blue pea coat and visits his friends, the toys. This night he tells them that it is Christmastime and that the children are talking about Santa. But not all of the toys know about Santa and when Violet the china-doll informs that that Santa makes toys for all the children, Little Whistle wonders if Santa made his friends. When his friends have to admit that they do not know, they decide to write Santa a letter to find out the truth.

"Little Whistle's Christmas" is a charming little Christmas parable, the lesson of which is made with gentle humor and should not be lost on the small children for whom it is intended. This is an excellent bed time story during the Holiday season for younger children, even if they are not old enough to read it all by themselves. This is the fourth volume in the Little Whistle series, following "Little Whistle," "Little Whistle's Dinner Party," and "Little Whistle's Medicine," all written by Rylant and illustrated by Bowers.

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Sweet Book, September 24, 2009

By 

Krista (United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Little Whistle's Christmas (Hardcover)

My 4 year old daughter, 2 year old son, my husband and I all love Little Whistle's Christmas. Is is a sweet, innocent story with very well done illustrations. At my children's request I've read the book at least a dozen times in the past few days since getting the book. I don't get tired of reading it either. Little Whistle is just adorable. We can't wait to read the other Little Whistle books.

4.0 out of 5 stars A sweet story that captures the magic and warmth of Christmas!, January 19, 2006

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Whistle's Christmas (Hardcover)

Whistle is a cute and friendly guinea pig who lives in a toy shop called Toytown. During the day, he enjoys the children as they shop for toys. During the night, however, when the shop is empty and everything has grown quiet, Whistle goes out of his cage to visit the toys...which of course always become alive in the stillness of the night.

There's a toy soldier who loves reading to babies, a lion who thinks about vanilla cookies, a bear who likes to try on hats, and even a train to take fun rides in.

But tonight is no ordinary night, and there's a special, electric charge in the air, for it is Christmastime. Whistle and the toys talk about Santa and soon begin to wonder about their own origin and whether or not they were "made" by him. In order to find out, they decide to write Santa a letter and ask him. Each day they wait for a reply, but none arrives.... Will Santa ever respond? And if he does, what would his reply be?

The endearing illustrations complement the story beautifully. Because of its calming, serene quality, this is the kind of tale sure to induce quiet dreams, one any young child will love to fall asleep to, especially on those long holiday nights.

Armchair Interviews says: Little Whistle's Christmas is a sweet story that captures some of the magic and warmth of Christmastime.