Mama Seeton's Whistle

by Jerry Spinelli, LeUyen Pham (Artist)

Overview

Without even thinking about it,
Mama Seeton puckered her lips and whistled.
It was not a loud whistle.
Or a fancy whistle.
Just a simple two-note whistle.



When Mama Seeton whistles, her children run home for chocolate cake, hugs, kisses, and shared memories. But as time passes, they travel farther and farther away from the familiar sound. Can mama's whistle be heard all over the world, and bring her children home one more time?


Newbery Award-winning author Jerry Spinelli's sweet lyrical text and New York Times bestselling illustrator LeUyen Pham's charming illustrations show the timeless love between a mother and her children.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316122177
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/14/2015
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	289,558
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Jerry Spinelli is the author of many immensely popular books for young readers, including Eggs, Stargirl, Space Station Seventh Grade, Newbery Honor Book Wringer, Newbery Award winner Maniac Magee, and the picture books Mama Seeton's Whistle and I Can Be Anything! He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and fellow author, Eileen.

Editorial Reviews

★ 02/16/2015
For the four Seeton kids, Mama’s “simple, two-note whistle” is more than a call to come home from their rambling adventures. The whistle signifies everything that’s wonderful about being in a loving, close-knit family: gathering around the table for dinner, devouring homemade chocolate cake, and, above all, having a mother whose affection is unwavering, unconditional, and unlimited. So even when the Seeton kids grow up and move far away (their professional pursuits include forest ranger and marathon runner), they’re never truly beyond the whistle’s reach, especially when their mother needs them most. Spinelli’s spare storytelling, with its subtle refrains and emotional modulations, strikes a knowing, bittersweet, yet comforting tone, while Pham’s ardently detailed but never sentimental portraits of small-town life transport readers back to “the old days, when only one family on a block had a TV,” mothers seemed to wear aprons around the clock, and kids roamed free. Spinelli and Pham make beautiful music together, creating an unabashedly old-fashioned family fable that should leave readers of all ages snuggling a little closer to one another. Ages 3–6. Illustrator’s agent: Linda Pratt, Wernick & Pratt. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

* "Spinelli and Pham make beautiful music together, creating an unabashedly old-fashioned family fable that should leave readers of all ages snuggling a little closer to one another."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "Fun and memories mix here, delightfully demonstrating the old adage, there's no place like home."—Booklist, starred review

"[A] nurturing look at the enduring love between a mother and her children."—School Library Journal

"While the empty-nest trope will appeal to adults more than kids, youngsters will understand both the love and the silliness of a family call...."—The Bulletin

From the Publisher

01/01/2015
PreS-Gr 2—When Mama Seeton whistles out the back door, her four children, three boys and a girl, always respond by dashing home for dinner and chocolate cake. But when they grow up and leave town, that whistle can no longer bring them home, and Mama Seeton misses them desperately. One day Papa encourages her to go outside and whistle, hoping the pretense will help, but it doesn't. However, though "no one has ever been able to explain" how it happened, each now-adult child hears the familiar sound and comes home, even from distant places. Now, following her example, Mama Seeton's children call their own offspring with a whistle as well. Mama is based on a neighbor from Spinelli's childhood, and the illustrations, executed in watercolor and ink, feature the cars, bikes, hair styles, clothing, and black-and-white TVs of his boyhood years. An especially effective spread depicting the various exploits of the children all across town conveys the passage of time with a display of all four seasons, beginning with the blossoms of spring on the left and moving across the page to summer greens, autumn colors, and finally, a snow-covered hillside on the right. A wavy pink line swirls throughout the pages connecting mom and children, and alert readers will notice how the kids' childhood interests blossom into their adult pursuits. Author and illustrator notes complete this nostalgic look at the enduring love between a mother and her children.—Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Greenwich, CT

School Library Journal

2015-01-20
Lauren Bacall's quote about whistling is classic, but when it comes to puckering, no one tops Mama Seeton. Mama's whistle to her family is heard throughout the neighborhood, letting her troops know it's time to come home for dinner and chocolate cake, even as they grow older and roam farther afield. At last, all grown, they leave and settle in far-flung places; frequent letters don't fend off Mama's loneliness. When Papa Seeton suggests she put her lips together and blow for old times' sake, she thinks he's daft but does so anyway; of course, no one arrives—at first. Miraculously, the marvelous sound travels around the world and summons every Seeton scion home. In time, the Seeton children summon their own offspring with a clarion whistle that brings the new generation running. This is a sweet but odd tale, and readers may have to suspend quite a bit of disbelief to buy into the premise. The audience is unclear; frequent references to time passing and an aging parent's wistfulness over her empty nest may be more resonant for adults than children. The ink-and-watercolor illustrations are charmingly cozy and retro; they easily evoke both a happy, close-knit family and the passage of time with carefully chosen details. In a nice nod to currency, she presents biracial grandkids. If nothing else, the book will make kids eager to practice whistling. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Review