Here is a brief summary of a few of the short stories in Adam Learns to Whistle.
When Adam is in the Garden of Eden, eager to learn the skills he sees the animals have, he has Fish and Dog teach him how to swim. Monkey teaches him how to use the vines to swing from tree to tree, and the birds teach Adam how to whistle. Adam's philosophy is "What is impossible today is possible tomorrow." Watching the birds fly high into the sky, Adam wants to learn to fly. Find out what Adam learns about flying.
The story "Brutus and Patches" is about a Saint Bernard dog, Brutus, who has the run of the house by his owners, Thelma and Bill. When Thelma is given a kitten she names Patches, she becomes angry with Brutus because of his aggressive behavior with Patches. Brutus often loses his house privileges and is upset because Patches scratches his tender nose. Will Brutus and Patches ever learn to get along with each other?
"Elvira and the Choir" is a story of fifty-six-year-old Elvira who has suffered a stroke. Because the stroke has left her with childlike behavior, her husband divorces her. She moves to another community where being lonely, she attends church. When she tells the minister she loved hearing the choir sing, the minister invites her to join the choir. George, the leader of the choir, once he hears her loud, raspy voice, doesn't want Elvira to sing in his choir. How does Elvira win everyone's hearts, including George's and the choir members?
The story "Debbie's Angel" is about a young girl who has been an orphan most of her life. Sad because the following day, the much-disliked Mrs. Beamer is going to cut the girls' hair, Debbie looks out of her window late at night. From the starry heavens, an angel descends. The angel teaches Debbie that true beauty is gained by being kind to others. Can Debbie teach the girls to like Mrs. Beamer?
These and the other short stories in the collection are both entertaining and inspiring.
