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Learning to Whistle

by Mary F. Bunker

51 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #07-2699; ISBN 1-4251-5962-1; US$12.00, C$12.00, EUR8.20, £6.20

I wouldn't learn to whistle in the halcyon days of youth. "That's a boy's trick" I explained, unwilling to be uncouth.

About the Book

"Poet and octogenarian Mary F. Bunker admires the beauty and idiosyncrasies of birds, skewers politicians who aren't doing their jobs, and ponders men, women, and their differences. She poignantly reflects on growing old and living alone after four decades of marriage. And she makes fun of her lifelong exasperation with modern contraptions - while questioning if we really need all the newfangled gadgets. She has always considered her poetry to be just a silly knack. She doesn't realize that her wise and witty contributions inspire others to think for themselves and speak their minds. Perhaps seeing her poems in print will convince her of their worth…and that it's okay for girls to whistle, too."

- Emily Bunker, editor and daughter

About the Author

Mary Franklin Bunker spent her childhood in Dedham, Massachusetts, and graduated from Milton Academy. She is a mother of four, grandmother of four, and great-grandmother of one. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her daughter Kathy.

About the Illustrator

Tim Joyce is an artist and high school English teacher. He lives in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

About the Editor

Emily Bunker is the author of Nuri's Donkey: Untold Stories & Unwritten Rules of a Village in Turkey, Jet Black Cat, and Secret Rules of the SAT Game: A Player's Guide. She lives in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Excerpts