Mister Whistler - Softcover

Gavin Bishop has published over 40 books that have been translated into nine languages. He has also written the libretti for children's ballets for the Royal New Zealand Ballet as well as scripts for television. Gavin Bishop is widely traveled and has been a guest author and speaker, through UNESCO, in Japan, China, Indonesia, and the USA. He was a guest lecturer at the Rhode Island School of Design in 1996. In 2003 with an Art and Science Collaboration Grant at Canterbury University he helped produce the world's first 3-dimensional, animated picture book.

PreS-Gr 1-Young movers and shakers will find a kindred spirit in Mister Whistler. He always has a song in his head, a dance coursing through his body, and a difficult time concentrating on anything else. A telephone call from Great-Aunt Lydia awakens him from a tangled-in-sheets, toe-tapping reverie; he dresses quickly in response to her request regarding window washing. Giggles will ensue when Whistler appears in long polka-dotted boxers and dons checkered pants, a striped shirt, a wildly patterned "waistcoat," and a long fur-trimmed coat before heading to the train station. Bishop's illustrations evoke an old-world feel, and his strong diagonal lines, busy patterns, and constantly changing positions create a convincing sense of energy as the protagonist jives to the flowing musical notes in every scene. Mistress of the appropriate rhythm for every narrative arc, Mahy picks up the pace as Whistler hustles to the station: "Am I neatly dressed? Yes! Neat as a pin. Have I got my ticket? Yes! It's here in my hand. Do I have a nice clean freshly ironed handkerchief? Let me check." She punctuates paragraphs with shorter phrases as he anxiously undresses (much to the amusement of the gathering passengers) to search for his ticket. Children will enjoy being in on its whereabouts and may guess at a solution the first-and second-time he needs one. Pair this with other favorite dance books, e.g., George Ancona's Let's Dance (HarperCollins, 1998), and then get up and boogie. The Locomotion, anyone?-Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Libraryα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.