Mister Pink-Whistle's Party

I don't even remember what the book was all about. A fat, rosy-cheeked Mister Pink-Whistle smiling benevolently out of the cover of a timeworn book with yellow pages is all that comes to my mind. Well, there were balloons in the background. Probably red, blue and yellow. and it was one of the first few books that my younger sister ever read as a child.
My parents had a tough time getting me to read novels. I would always give-up on them after the first few pages. Also, the first books that they tried to make me read were not the easiest ones to grasp as a child. Enid Blyton was Vineeta Auntie's idea. Her daughter was my age and had a whole cupboard full of Famous Fives, Malory Towers and Saint Clares.
The first book that I ever managed to read, however, was 'The Adventurous Four'. My mother and I read it together. It was fun competing with her to read it and then discussing the story. It was a hard-bound book with a blue cover and had a boat painted in the front. The same boat that led the four friends to a remarkable adventure.
Thus began my adventures in the world of Enid Blyton. Famous Five, The Five Findouters, The Twins at Saint Clares, The Naughtiest Girl in School were all my childhood friends. How the piggy 'runned away' in Billycock Hill still makes me smile. And Mister Pink Whistle's Party sure was a success.