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Mr Pink-Whistle #1
The Adventures of Mr Pink-Whistle
Mr Pink-Whistle is not like ordinary people. He's half a brownie and half a person, and he can make himself invisible whenever he wants. But the most important thing about him is he's always helping people in trouble and getting himself into all sorts of funny situations.
121 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1941
About the author
Enid Blyton
5,306 books6,485 followersSee also:
Ένιντ Μπλάιτον (Greek)
Enida Blaitona (Latvian)
Энид Блайтон (Russian)
Inid Blajton (Serbian)
Інід Блайтон (Ukrainian)
Enid Mary Blyton (1897–1968) was an English author of children's books.
Born in South London, Blyton was the eldest of three children, and showed an early interest in music and reading. She was educated at St. Christopher's School, Beckenham, and - having decided not to pursue her music - at Ipswich High School, where she trained as a kindergarten teacher. She taught for five years before her 1924 marriage to editor Hugh Pollock, with whom she had two daughters. This marriage ended in divorce, and Blyton remarried in 1943, to surgeon Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters. She died in 1968, one year after her second husband.
Blyton was a prolific author of children's books, who penned an estimated 800 books over about 40 years. Her stories were often either children's adventure and mystery stories, or fantasies involving magic. Notable series include: The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find-Outers, Noddy, The Wishing Chair, Mallory Towers, and St. Clare's.
According to the Index Translationum, Blyton was the fifth most popular author in the world in 2007, coming after Lenin but ahead of Shakespeare.
See also her pen name Mary Pollock
Ένιντ Μπλάιτον (Greek)
Enida Blaitona (Latvian)
Энид Блайтон (Russian)
Inid Blajton (Serbian)
Інід Блайтон (Ukrainian)
Enid Mary Blyton (1897–1968) was an English author of children's books.
Born in South London, Blyton was the eldest of three children, and showed an early interest in music and reading. She was educated at St. Christopher's School, Beckenham, and - having decided not to pursue her music - at Ipswich High School, where she trained as a kindergarten teacher. She taught for five years before her 1924 marriage to editor Hugh Pollock, with whom she had two daughters. This marriage ended in divorce, and Blyton remarried in 1943, to surgeon Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters. She died in 1968, one year after her second husband.
Blyton was a prolific author of children's books, who penned an estimated 800 books over about 40 years. Her stories were often either children's adventure and mystery stories, or fantasies involving magic. Notable series include: The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find-Outers, Noddy, The Wishing Chair, Mallory Towers, and St. Clare's.
According to the Index Translationum, Blyton was the fifth most popular author in the world in 2007, coming after Lenin but ahead of Shakespeare.
See also her pen name Mary Pollock
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 10, 2021
****4.0****
A nice book teaching kids good manners :)
Happy Reading!!
A nice book teaching kids good manners :)
Happy Reading!!
August 1, 2022
Lovely light read. I feel most of Enid's books have a lesson to tell and in this we find Mr Pink Whistle who is all about spreading abit of kindness where he can.
June 2, 2019
My second Summer Reading Challenge book- Past Love.
I have fond memories of reading about dear old Mr Pink-Whistle when I was quite young. I have not read it since so was pleased that one of the challenges was to re-read a book you loved when you were younger. Five stars because it brought back happy memories. I could visualise my bedroom even the wallpaper of my childhood. Funny how books can take you back and restore memories not only of the story but of your feelings, sights, sounds, smells etc. This book is giving away my age but Enid Blyton was the children's author of the time. The sentiment behind Mr Pink-Whislte as someone who helps others is still a good message to send.
I have fond memories of reading about dear old Mr Pink-Whistle when I was quite young. I have not read it since so was pleased that one of the challenges was to re-read a book you loved when you were younger. Five stars because it brought back happy memories. I could visualise my bedroom even the wallpaper of my childhood. Funny how books can take you back and restore memories not only of the story but of your feelings, sights, sounds, smells etc. This book is giving away my age but Enid Blyton was the children's author of the time. The sentiment behind Mr Pink-Whislte as someone who helps others is still a good message to send.
May 24, 2022
I loved this book as a child. It's a fun way to teach and remind kids about the value of compassion, being a food person, doing the right thing and looking out for others.
May 12, 2021
Try it if you're below 10.
This book is about a creature called Mr. Pink Whistle who likes to do adventures and social welfare. The chapters in this book are not rigidly connected, so it's basically a collection of stories for children involving the same protagonist. Not an exceptionally amazing book, but if you like Enid Blyton's books, then you can give it a shot. I read it when I was 9 and I found it very good back then. Don't read it if you are older than that.
This book is about a creature called Mr. Pink Whistle who likes to do adventures and social welfare. The chapters in this book are not rigidly connected, so it's basically a collection of stories for children involving the same protagonist. Not an exceptionally amazing book, but if you like Enid Blyton's books, then you can give it a shot. I read it when I was 9 and I found it very good back then. Don't read it if you are older than that.
September 7, 2012
The story of a man who seeks to set things right
(7 Sept 2012)
This is a collection of stories about a half-brownie named Mr Pinkwhistle. One day Mr Pinkwhistle realises that bad things seem to happen to good people so he decides that he will use is abilities to actually try to set things right for these people because it hurts him to see all of these bad things happen. This is a very noble cause, and not only that, I also notice that it is not just a nice person helping people out, but rather a person who has abilities using these abilities to actually help people. The thing is that Mr Pink Whistle knows what it is like to be different (we are told that because he is a half-brownie he doesn't fit in with the brownies or the humans), but instead of wallowing in his misery, he uses his uniqueness to do good for people.
As mentioned, this is a collection of stories, and the main gift that he uses is his gift of invisibility, though we also note that he can understand and speak with animals. However, it should also be noted that he does not just help people, but he also gets back at bad people. In one instance he frees some caged rabbits who have not be fed by their owners, or have not cleaned their hutch, so he steals their food and messes up their bedroom, and in doing so, gets them into trouble. In another adventure, he stalks a rather mean boy and pins notices to his back, which seems to have a tendency to make him angry.
While the idea of trying to set things right is a noble cause (such as buying a new doll for a girl who had hers broken, or buying some good clothes for a poor family) seeking vengeance against bad people is probably not something that we should be encouraging children to do. While it is true that we should look after our pets by making sure they are fed and given clean places to live, I don't think stealing the bad owner's food, or messing up their bedrooms a good thing. Okay, in the story Mr Pink Whistle did teach these children a lesson, which they learnt, but that is not always the case. For instance there is the story about Wilfred. It is clear that he is a self-centred bully that lives by instilling fear among those around him. What Mr Pink Whistle can get away with, we can't, and while the best way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them and not let them scare us, we do have to be intelligent about the way we go about it.
Of course, the deal with Wilfred was that Mr Pink Whistle turned him into a laughing stock, and not only did that shame him, but it also instilled fear into him. A bully rules by fear, but when the fear is turned back against them then it pretty much neuters them. They also work by the principle of divide and conquer. Notice that bullies always seem to be at their worse when they are surrounded by their friends, because they then have backup; however, when they are alone, notice that they tend to be a lot friendlier. They also tend to target those who are isolated and alone, because these people are unable to draw upon the backup that gives the bullies their power. Personally, I guess the best way to deal with them is to simply not let their fear override you, but that may not be as easy thing to do, however, the other thing to remember is that one should learn to count our friends, whoever they may be, because sometimes we get so caught up on being friends with the beautiful people that we ignore the people who really are our friends.
(7 Sept 2012)
This is a collection of stories about a half-brownie named Mr Pinkwhistle. One day Mr Pinkwhistle realises that bad things seem to happen to good people so he decides that he will use is abilities to actually try to set things right for these people because it hurts him to see all of these bad things happen. This is a very noble cause, and not only that, I also notice that it is not just a nice person helping people out, but rather a person who has abilities using these abilities to actually help people. The thing is that Mr Pink Whistle knows what it is like to be different (we are told that because he is a half-brownie he doesn't fit in with the brownies or the humans), but instead of wallowing in his misery, he uses his uniqueness to do good for people.
As mentioned, this is a collection of stories, and the main gift that he uses is his gift of invisibility, though we also note that he can understand and speak with animals. However, it should also be noted that he does not just help people, but he also gets back at bad people. In one instance he frees some caged rabbits who have not be fed by their owners, or have not cleaned their hutch, so he steals their food and messes up their bedroom, and in doing so, gets them into trouble. In another adventure, he stalks a rather mean boy and pins notices to his back, which seems to have a tendency to make him angry.
While the idea of trying to set things right is a noble cause (such as buying a new doll for a girl who had hers broken, or buying some good clothes for a poor family) seeking vengeance against bad people is probably not something that we should be encouraging children to do. While it is true that we should look after our pets by making sure they are fed and given clean places to live, I don't think stealing the bad owner's food, or messing up their bedrooms a good thing. Okay, in the story Mr Pink Whistle did teach these children a lesson, which they learnt, but that is not always the case. For instance there is the story about Wilfred. It is clear that he is a self-centred bully that lives by instilling fear among those around him. What Mr Pink Whistle can get away with, we can't, and while the best way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them and not let them scare us, we do have to be intelligent about the way we go about it.
Of course, the deal with Wilfred was that Mr Pink Whistle turned him into a laughing stock, and not only did that shame him, but it also instilled fear into him. A bully rules by fear, but when the fear is turned back against them then it pretty much neuters them. They also work by the principle of divide and conquer. Notice that bullies always seem to be at their worse when they are surrounded by their friends, because they then have backup; however, when they are alone, notice that they tend to be a lot friendlier. They also tend to target those who are isolated and alone, because these people are unable to draw upon the backup that gives the bullies their power. Personally, I guess the best way to deal with them is to simply not let their fear override you, but that may not be as easy thing to do, however, the other thing to remember is that one should learn to count our friends, whoever they may be, because sometimes we get so caught up on being friends with the beautiful people that we ignore the people who really are our friends.
June 21, 2016
I used to read a lot of Enid Blyton stories as a child and was bowled over to find one I had not read yet. Mr Pink-Whistle is a half brownie and half human with a secret that he had never used. Mr Pink-Whistle is able to make himself invisible. He uses his invisibility to help people that have been dealt really unfair cards, like Mrs Spink's washing that gets ruined again and again, which meant that her children would not have clean clothes to wear to attend their first party. A lovely moral to the stories and a very sweet, innocent book.
December 30, 2016
Another sweet collection of Mr Pink-Whistle’s adventures where he once again goes about setting right things for children and grown-ups, and also some animals to whom life, circumstances, or other people have been unfair. One story was an overlap with another collection I just read.
Read
February 8, 2017The Adventures of Mr Pink Whistle was my first experience reading a novel at age 4. I loved this series dearly, and I love Enid Blyton.
August 19, 2023
I’ve had this book since I was a kid and it’s the only one I remember reading. I happen to come across it awhile ago and thought I would read it again.
It was a nice read and reminded me of the value of being kind. Took me back to my childhood.
It was a nice read and reminded me of the value of being kind. Took me back to my childhood.
April 11, 2024
A delightful, magical read for children. Mr Pink-Whistle, unhappy with the unfairness he sees and hears about, sets out to reward helpful people. At times he undertakes to give the naughty children a taste of their own medicine.
June 21, 2026
A fun, entertaining book for children. Each chapter is about Mr. Pink-Whistle helping a different person. The book is divided into small, bit sized episodes, so it is easily digestible by kids. It teaches the importance of being kind, which is a good lesson for kids to learn.
September 13, 2020
Click on the link below to check the review:
https://youtu.be/EhPnjzfYhpU
https://youtu.be/EhPnjzfYhpU
January 10, 2021
This is a nice collection of stories.
Mr pink whistle is very lonely so he decides to help people who deserve it.
Mr pink whistle is very lonely so he decides to help people who deserve it.
Read
January 28, 2021Idk
March 14, 2021
My kids liked it. It's a product of its time. Sadly, not as fun for the adults to read like Winnie the Pooh is.
May 12, 2026
This is such a good book. It's lovely to read a story so focused on kindness and doing the right thing. It's a great way to inspire children and fill their minds with positive thoughts.
August 21, 2026
Good old Pink-Whistle.
June 20, 2017
27 Jan 2020
1. Subjective (4 stars) v. Objective (2.5 stars) Rating: Look, sometimes I just want to read short stories about an invisible man who makes it his business to spy on people and help out the ones he feels are being discriminated against, okay. It scratches an itch very satisfyingly.
2. This book is a book written for babies, and me reading it as a grown-ass adult is going to result in some amount of eye-rolling, which is not really its fault because it's written for very young children.
3. As can be expected from a book of this type, both the prose and the plot are very simple. Blyton's language is very no-frills, focusing on actions rather than emotions. She tells rather than shows a little more than I like, but I guess any more and it would get a little to complicated for beginner readers. The plot pretty much follows variations of "person is wronged by circumstances/other people" and the protagonist then spends time helping or punishing accordingly.
4. The characters are very saccharine in general. I'm not complaining since it's a feature and not a bug, but they mostly blend into blobs of good and bad little girls and boys. Blyton breaks type a little with my favorite story in the collection, featuring a grumpy man and an ugly dog. The dog is probably one of the worst offenders at being sickeningly sweet, but the man makes up for it by being a miserable, unhappy person who is- and frankly I was a little surprised by Blyton doing this- treated (mostly) sympathetically. Pink-Whistle, the protagonist, doesn't get much characterization besides being (a) militantly righteous and (b) a plot device in other people's stories. Complex relationships are mostly nonexistent in this book; there are just good people and bad people and the bad people sometimes become better. I do have a thing for whatever those two old ladies had going on, though.
6. There's less worldbuilding in this than in some of Blyton's other magic-based works. There's almost no magical worldbuilding in the large scale- the story which tried to shoehorn that bit on was one of the least compelling ones in the collection, IMO. The magic is centered almost entirely around this one guy's invisibility. Combine that with the old-fashion-y life in like the 1940s British countryside and things feel different from what they are like now, even if Blyton probably didn't intend to write them that way. This is one of the more interesting aspects of reading old books.
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15 Jun 2017
I’m a sucker for Robin Hood stories. Turns out I am a sucker for them even if the villains are one-dimensional and the helpless citizens are sometimes so sweet they are liable to give me cavities.
1. Subjective (4 stars) v. Objective (2.5 stars) Rating: Look, sometimes I just want to read short stories about an invisible man who makes it his business to spy on people and help out the ones he feels are being discriminated against, okay. It scratches an itch very satisfyingly.
2. This book is a book written for babies, and me reading it as a grown-ass adult is going to result in some amount of eye-rolling, which is not really its fault because it's written for very young children.
3. As can be expected from a book of this type, both the prose and the plot are very simple. Blyton's language is very no-frills, focusing on actions rather than emotions. She tells rather than shows a little more than I like, but I guess any more and it would get a little to complicated for beginner readers. The plot pretty much follows variations of "person is wronged by circumstances/other people" and the protagonist then spends time helping or punishing accordingly.
4. The characters are very saccharine in general. I'm not complaining since it's a feature and not a bug, but they mostly blend into blobs of good and bad little girls and boys. Blyton breaks type a little with my favorite story in the collection, featuring a grumpy man and an ugly dog. The dog is probably one of the worst offenders at being sickeningly sweet, but the man makes up for it by being a miserable, unhappy person who is- and frankly I was a little surprised by Blyton doing this- treated (mostly) sympathetically. Pink-Whistle, the protagonist, doesn't get much characterization besides being (a) militantly righteous and (b) a plot device in other people's stories. Complex relationships are mostly nonexistent in this book; there are just good people and bad people and the bad people sometimes become better. I do have a thing for whatever those two old ladies had going on, though.
6. There's less worldbuilding in this than in some of Blyton's other magic-based works. There's almost no magical worldbuilding in the large scale- the story which tried to shoehorn that bit on was one of the least compelling ones in the collection, IMO. The magic is centered almost entirely around this one guy's invisibility. Combine that with the old-fashion-y life in like the 1940s British countryside and things feel different from what they are like now, even if Blyton probably didn't intend to write them that way. This is one of the more interesting aspects of reading old books.
-
15 Jun 2017
I’m a sucker for Robin Hood stories. Turns out I am a sucker for them even if the villains are one-dimensional and the helpless citizens are sometimes so sweet they are liable to give me cavities.
April 2, 2022
A true blast from the past. As a child how I would have loved to think that there was a Mr. Pink-Whistle out there to help me through things that seemed unfair. Though the stories are sweeter and plots more pat than I would usually enjoy, they are reminiscent of the innocence in what I read or what I was read when I was very young. I particularly loved the story in which Mr. Pink-Whistle helped a hard-working mom who expected nothing from the world, by buying new clothes for her children; The ugly dog and the ugly blind man, making life complete for each other, thanks to Mr. Pink-Whistle; and little Jackie, who was injured helping his friend and couldn't go to the magic show that comes to town once a year. Mr. Pink-Whistle found a way to make his dreams come true as well. In this day and age, this was an hour of spirit-lifting escapsim.
January 16, 2012
Mr. Pinkwhistle was another of my most-favorite EB characters! In later years I gently nudged these books on to my daughter, who loved them as well. I was by then affluent enough to afford to BUY books (as opposed to reading them from the library), so now we have a grand collection of EB books. Maybe one day her child will get excited at these books too.
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February 2, 2018Another of my childhood favourites.great book and 1 of the many books that started off my love of reading.im going to hunt out all my old Enid Blyton books and have a trip down memory lane.highly recommend Enid Blyton books....they are timeless
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews