###Whistle for Willie
by Ezra Jack Keats illustrations by Ezra Jack Keats
Oh, how Peter wished he could whistle!
He saw a boy playing with his dog. Whenever the boy whistled, the dog
ran straight to him.
Peter tried and tried to whistle, but he couldn’t. So instead he began
to turn himself around—around and around he whirled … faster and
faster. . .. When he stopped, everything turned down … and up …
and up … and down … and around and around.
Peter saw his dog, Willie, coming. Quick as a wink, he hid in an empty
carton lying on the sidewalk.
“Wouldn’t it be funny if I whistled?” Peter thought. “Willie would stop
and look all around to see who it was.”
Peter tried again to whistle—but still he couldn’t. So Willie just
walked on.
Peter got out of the carton and started home. On the way he took some
colored chalks out of his pocket and drew a long, long line right up to
his door. He stood there and tried to whistle again. He blew till his
cheeks were tired. But nothing happened.
He went into his house and put on his father’s old hat to make himself
feel more grown-up. He looked into the mirror to practice whistling.
Still no whistle!
When his mother saw what he was doing, Peter pretended that he was his
father. He said, “I’ve come home early today, dear. Is Peter here?”
His mother answered, “Why no, he’s outside with Willie.”
“Well, I’ll go out and look for them,” said Peter.
First he walked along a crack in the sidewalk. Then he tried to run away
from his shadow. He jumped off his shadow. But when he landed they were
together again. He came to the corner where the carton was, and who
should he see but Willie! ” [k]{.smallcaps} \’jy
Peter scrambled under the carton. He blew and blew \’• £ v V* -.y v and
blew. Suddenly—out came a real whistle! V
Willie stopped and looked around to see who it was.
“It’s me,” Peter shouted, and stood up. Willie raced straight to him.
Peter ran home to show his father and mother what he could do. They
loved Peter’s whistling. So did Willie.
Peter’s mother asked him and Willie to go on an errand to the grocery
store. He whistled all the way there, and he whistled all the way home.
3YB
Ezra Jack Keats has written other picture books in which Peter appears,
including The Snowy Day and Letter to Amy. Girls will especially
like his book Jennie\’s Hat, which is the story of a little girl who
wants a beautiful flowered hat and what happens when she gets a very
plain one.
