Little Whistle

by Cynthia Rylant, Tim Bowers (Illustrator)

Toytown looks like any other neighborhood toy store, with stuffed animals, wooden sailors, favorite games, and beautiful dolls on all the shelves. But it's also the place an adorable guinea pig named Little Whistle calls home. And at night in Toytown, when the shades are drawn and Little Whistle is awake, magical things happen. . . .
The first of Little Whistle's delightful nighttime adventures, this sure-to-be-classic from beloved author Cynthia Rylant will make Toytown a place every young reader will want to visit.

Genres: Picture Books, Fiction, Childrens, Fantasy, Animals

32 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2001

About the author

Cynthia Rylant is an American author, poet, and librarian whose deeply felt books for children and young adults have made her one of the most beloved voices in contemporary literature. Writing across picture books, novels, short stories, nonfiction, and poetry, she has published more than one hundred works, many of them rooted in memory, family, solitude, and the emotional landscapes of ordinary life. Her fiction often draws from her upbringing in West Virginia and reflects the textures of Appalachian life with unusual tenderness and clarity.
Raised in modest circumstances, Rylant spent much of her childhood with her grandparents in a rural setting that later became central to her imagination as a writer. Those early years, marked by hardship as well as warmth, shaped the emotional honesty and quiet resilience that define her work. She later studied English and library science, and after working as a waitress, librarian, and teacher, she began publishing books inspired by the world she had known so intimately.
Among her most acclaimed works are Missing May, which received the Newbery Medal, and A Fine White Dust, a Newbery Honor Book. She also earned Caldecott Honors for When I Was Young in the Mountains and The Relatives Came. For younger readers, she became especially well known through the enduring Henry and Mudge series, as well as other popular books and series that combine gentleness, humor, and emotional depth.
Rylant's writing is distinguished by its compassion for lonely, searching, or overlooked characters, and by its reverence for animals, nature, and small human connections. Whether writing about grief, wonder, childhood, or belonging, she brings a lyrical simplicity that resonates across generations. Her books continue to offer comfort, recognition, and beauty to readers of all ages. She remains a singular literary presence in children's literature and beyond today.

Reviews

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Illustrations are adorable but the story doesn't quite feel complete.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only gave this two stars due to the fine artwork. The story itself was crap. I don't think the author knew anything about guinea pigs. They are active during the day and sleep during the night -- the exact opposite of what Little Whistle does here.

There's nothing original here. The toys come to life and play when no humans are looking. That's been done to death.

There's no conflict, no challenge to overcome -- nothing. Just crap.

And some pretty pictures.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Whistle is a guinea pig who lives in Toy Town, a store that sells toys. Little Whistle sleeps all day, but when the store closes, and the magic happens is when Little Whistle has the best adventures of all. This delightful tale shares of some of Little Whistle's adventures.

[Terry]

This story is great, even without the nice illustrations. It plays on our flights of fancy about toys coming to life and is a fun read. Read the full review at the Reading Tub.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute little guinea pig has adventures and friends in a toy store he lives in where the toys come to life at night when the store closes.

[Jeani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book immensely! No big drama or scariness or villains, just a lovely introduction to Little Whistle and his adorable life.

[Aaron Ashton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute children's book about a Guinea pig (my favorite critter) and his adventures in the toy shop. Good one to add to my collection.

[Elya McKinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute little story- my 7 year old's only complaint was that it was too short ;)

[Sydney Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gentle and adorable.

[Ellice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awww. In this picture book, a (real) guinea pig who lives in a toy store makes friends with all the toys and enjoys their company every night. Little Whistle is cute as a button.

[Bridget R. Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Whistle, a guinea pig, lives in a toy store. He sleeps all day, but at night he explores the store and makes many friends. When Little Whistle first came to the toy store, a kindly sailor loaned him his blue peacoat because it gets chilly in the store at night. Every night before Little Whistle sets off to visit his friends, he dons his peacoat. He cuts quite a dashing figure. He normally makes use of the train to go see all his friends. There's a teddy bear who loves hats, a rabbit who is always running, a china doll who sings, and a toy soldier who reads to the babies. Little Whistle and his friends have many adventures at night when the store is closed. Little Whistle has more fun in Little Whistle's Dinner Party, Little Whistle's Medicine, and Little Whistle's Christmas.

What I Thought: This is a delightful book. I love the idea of a toy store coming to life after closing time. The Little Whistle books have the potential to be classics. This book would be prefect to use for a story time that had toys as its theme.

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Whistle is a small brown guinea pig who lives in a toy shop called Toytown. He sleeps all day because at night he has adventures visiting all of his friends (the toys) in the shop. On his very first night in the shop, he meet s a sailor who lets him borrow his pea coat, which Little Whistle wears every night thereafter – it gets cold in the shop! He also makes friends with some of the other toys – Lion, Rabbit, Bear, and Violet, to name a few. Even though friends come and go, Little Whistle is happy (and the toys are, too), because his friends are being sold to children who “care for them.”

Little Whistle is just about the cutest guinea pig ever – he’s plump with round beady eyes and a cheerful disposition (Tim Bowers has captured the little grin and bright spirit that all guinea pigs seem to possess). In his pea coat, Little Whistle looks rather patrician (and a bit like Paddington Bear), as he makes his rounds of the shop. This is a gentle, reassuring, imaginative story.

[Ina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet story filled with wonderful illustrations. Little Whistle, the guinea pig, loves his home in Toy Town, especially at night when all the toys come to life. The story is very imaginative and the characters the author creates, all friends of Little Whistle are just marvelous. At night, Little Whistle wakes up and puts on his blue pea coat (a gift from a long since sold toy sailor) and visits all of his friends: a bear that likes hats, a soldier that loves to read books to babe, a lion that loves vanilla cookies. Some nights he takes the train to the other side of the store and some nights he just walks...well you get the picture. It was a tad long for my two-year-olds but they paid attention all the way to the end of this gentle story.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Whistle appears to be aimed toward very young children. The guinea pig lives in a toy store, sleeps during the day and at night awakens to marvelous journeys.

I love both the visual images and the painting of words that together make a very cute story.

Little Whistle rides the train through out the store because it is too large to walk. A wooden sailor toy gave him a blue pea coat, which he now proudly wears.

He observes the dolls and their tea parties, The stuffed lion who loves vanilla cookies and the rabbit who always wants to run.

The images were delightful and cute is the word I would use for this book. It is a bundle of cuteness.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Little Whistle, a story of a toy store owner's pet guinea pig and his doings when the shades are drawn for the day. I give this book a 3 star rating because, though it was good, it just didn't touch me. On my scale, 5 stars means "Unbelievable" and 4 stars means "not my favorite, but really enjoyed it". I bought this book for its pictures by the way. It has lovely illustrations and some even go outside the bounds of the frame, really catching the reader's eye! Therefore, I give it 3 stars.

[Friend of Pixie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Given the vast number and variety of books Rylant writes, they can't all be good. This book was disappointing in that it never went anywhere. I could tell that Logan was waiting for something to happen, but nothing does. A live guinea lives in a toy store. He borrows a jacket from a toy, and a hat from another toy. He likes living there and doesn't mind when the toys get sold because they want to be bought. End of story.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sweet guinea pig lives in a toy store, wears a blue peacoat, and has many friends including a lion who loves vanilla cookies, a bear who's obsessed with hats, and china doll who sings. This adorable picture book could be a parable about finding contentment in a changing world. Great book for cavy lovers like me.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure which of my kids introduced me to the low key adventures of a guinea pig in a blue bathrobe that lives in a toy store, but it quickly became a family favorite.
The setting and characters are fun, the art is great and there's a nice vibe to these books that reminds me in equal parts of Winnie the pooh and Toy Story.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This follows the life of a guinea pig that lives in a toy store. At night, he and the toys live another life that the owner never sees. It's a simple book. There isn't a heavy plt. Would be fun for kids that like guinea pigs and for fans of Toy Story.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book of imagination, or is it real? Little Whistle, a very friendly guinea pig, has lots of adventures in the toy shop. The illustrations are beautiful, and the opportunity for rich discussions is endless. You will fall in love with Little Whistle!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

06/12: Little Whistle is cute. He's a guinea pig who lives in a toy store. When the shop closes for the evening, all the toys come to life. Little Whistle loves living in the toy store and playing with the toys.

[Joni · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love Little Whistle in his peacoat. Our family loves this book!

[jenna Hudrlik · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book takes parts from other classic stories - such as the velveteen rabbit -and tries to make them their own - nothing new

[Nan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not Rylant at her best. The story feels a little cliche, as do the illustrations. The last picture gives you the idea that there may be more books in the series...and there are.

[Helena]

My brother Wyeth and me read this together. I hope to get a hamster this summer.

[Brandielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story about a guinea pig in a toy store.

[Kim Browning · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the pictures in this book. The story is good. I see that there are other Little Whistle books. The stories in the other books may have more excitement than this first book did.

[Bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like little whistle very much.
The sentense that I love so much:toys love being sold to children who care for them .

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet, gentle story