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Mister Whistler

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Mister Whistler
by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Gavin Bishop
Gecko Press, 2012.  Unpaged.  Picture Book.

     The late, and ever-so-great, Margaret Mahy has not left us without a lovely picture book to remember her by.  Mister Whistler has been, as usual, singing and dancing in his sleep but must untangle himself from the bedclothes to answer a call from his Great Aunt Lydia Whistler who wants him to come wash her windows. With a song still in his head, Mr. Whistler dances into his underwear, his shirt, his pants, his waistcoat, a jacket, and his big green coat with the fur collar. On the way to the train station Mr. Whistler wonders if he has remembered his handkerchief.  Putting his ticket in his teeth he searches his clothes until he finds it but, then, where is his ticket?  How Mr. Whistler dances his clothes back off looking for his ticket, dances them back on when he remembers where it is, and collects a hatful of money from appreciative travelers makes up the rest of this charming tale.  Gavin Bishop's pictures are a total delight. 
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