Little Whistle's Christmas

by: Cynthia Rylant; Illustrated by Tim Bowers

Published by: Harcourt Books

Reviewed by Mayra Calvani

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.