When the Whistle Blows Hardcover - 2009

by Fran Cannon Slayton

Froggie can't wait to meet Goose and Gander'snew baby, Gosling! He and Rabbit spend all daypreparing: they bake a cake, make salad, andfind the perfect picnic spot. Froggie picks out hisfavorite toys and books to share. And whenGosling finally arrives, she takes one look at Froggie,and . . . HOOOOOOONK! Froggie doesn't know whatto do! But leave it to lovable Froggie to find a wayto turn tears into giggles, winning over Gosling andmaking a new friend for life.The creators of Too Many Frogs! deliver anotherchild-friendly romp with a warmhearted finish.Jimmy lives in Rowlesburg, West Virginia, during the1940s. He does all the things boys do in the smallmountain town: plays a mean game of football,pulls the unforgettable Halloween prank with hisfriends in "the Platoon," and promises to head offinto the woods on the first day of hunting season - no matter what. He also knows his father belongsto a secret society, and is determined to uncover themysteries behind it! But it is a midnight encounterwith a train that shows Jimmy the man his fatherreally is.

Newcomer Fran Cannon Slayton's powerful firstnovel captures the serendipity of boyhood by shininga spotlight on the peak adventures of Jimmy'slife. But at its heart, this is a story about a boy andhis father in a time when trains reigned supreme.

"When the Whistle Blows is reminiscent of classictales by Jack London, William Golding and RobertLouis Stevenson, yet carries the remarkable, freshvoice of its author. Fran Cannon Slayton should beextremely proud of this, her debut novel." - EllenHopkins, author of Crank and Identical.