The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles
by Julie Andrews
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With help from an eccentric professor who gives their imaginations special intensive training, three children succeed in locating the last of the great Whangdoodles and granting his heart's desire.Tags
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Summary: Ben, Tom, and Lindy Potter are enjoying an autumn day at the zoo when they meet Professor Savant - an eccentric but brilliant biologist. He asks them if they’ve ever heard of the Whangdoodle - the most fantastic creature in the world, and the last of his kind. So begins their adventure in Whangdoodleland, an incredible place filled with amazing creatures, and reachable only through the imagination. For they are on a quest to meet the elusive Whangdoodle, whatever adventures they might meet on the way.
Review: I’m sad I never encountered this book as a child - I think I would have loved it. But, even twenty years too late, I loved it anyways. It’s a fun adventure story, full of actually suspenseful adventures, and a show more dangerous if not particularly menacing bad guy. But, more than that, it’s got a really nice message about using your imagination, and about seeing the miracle of Life. Obviously, 35 years later, the science seems a little dated - in the 1970s, genetics was only very recently establishing itself as a major field of study, and cloning still seemed like a pretty remote possibility. Today, the descriptions of what happens in a laboratory working with DNA seem a little laughable (if I ever had brightly-colored clouds of steam coming from my work, I’d be severely worried… But, of course, these things work differently in Whangdoodleland.) But, even so, if I ever have children, this book will definitely be read to them early - and often. For now, though, it’s definitely going in my pile of childhood favorites, even if I didn’t quite get to it in childhood. 5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: If you have kids, read it to them. If you don’t have kids, read it anyways - it’s a fun adventure and a quick kick in the pants to a stagnated adult imagination.
Quote I Particularly Liked: Lindy brought her bike alongside the professor’s. “You know so much,” she said. “Don’t you sometimes feel bewildered when you think of the millions of things that put life together?” The professor smiled. “I’m not bewildered. I’m filled with the deepest awe and wonder. The miracle is that in its complexity it all works.”
Amen, sir. Amen. show less
Review: I’m sad I never encountered this book as a child - I think I would have loved it. But, even twenty years too late, I loved it anyways. It’s a fun adventure story, full of actually suspenseful adventures, and a show more dangerous if not particularly menacing bad guy. But, more than that, it’s got a really nice message about using your imagination, and about seeing the miracle of Life. Obviously, 35 years later, the science seems a little dated - in the 1970s, genetics was only very recently establishing itself as a major field of study, and cloning still seemed like a pretty remote possibility. Today, the descriptions of what happens in a laboratory working with DNA seem a little laughable (if I ever had brightly-colored clouds of steam coming from my work, I’d be severely worried… But, of course, these things work differently in Whangdoodleland.) But, even so, if I ever have children, this book will definitely be read to them early - and often. For now, though, it’s definitely going in my pile of childhood favorites, even if I didn’t quite get to it in childhood. 5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: If you have kids, read it to them. If you don’t have kids, read it anyways - it’s a fun adventure and a quick kick in the pants to a stagnated adult imagination.
Quote I Particularly Liked: Lindy brought her bike alongside the professor’s. “You know so much,” she said. “Don’t you sometimes feel bewildered when you think of the millions of things that put life together?” The professor smiled. “I’m not bewildered. I’m filled with the deepest awe and wonder. The miracle is that in its complexity it all works.”
Amen, sir. Amen. show less
I loved this book as a kid, but even then, I remember thinking that it had a tendency to get a bit heavy-handed and preachy -- for example, there's a passage where the adult protagonist solemnly explains to one of the kids why they should pay attention to what their elders tell them. I rolled my eyes even at age 11 or so. Still, a great story.
Ben, Tom and Lindy Potter are ordinary children. They lead ordinary lives - until they meet the brilliant Professor Savant. He tells them all about the Whangdoodles, the wise and magical creatures who once lived on earth but then disappeared to another land, and were forgotten forever.
Except by Professor Savant and the three children, who are determined to visit Whangdoodleland, where the last of the really great Whangdoodles rules over his kingdom of fantastic creatures. Getting there isn't easy. The children must look "beyond" the ordinary, and see things in a completely different way. It's hard and dangerous work, and sometimes it seems that they'll never reach the Whangdoodle's castle. But little by little the children learn that show more with a bit of imagination, "anything" is possible. show less
Except by Professor Savant and the three children, who are determined to visit Whangdoodleland, where the last of the really great Whangdoodles rules over his kingdom of fantastic creatures. Getting there isn't easy. The children must look "beyond" the ordinary, and see things in a completely different way. It's hard and dangerous work, and sometimes it seems that they'll never reach the Whangdoodle's castle. But little by little the children learn that show more with a bit of imagination, "anything" is possible. show less
Ben, Tom and Lindy Potter are ordinary children. They lead ordinary lives - until they meet the brilliant Professor Savant. He tells them all about the Whangdoodles, the wise and magical creatures who once lived on earth but then disappeared to another land, and were forgotten forever.
Except by Professor Savant and the three children, who are determined to visit Whangdoodleland, where the last of the really great Whangdoodles rules over his kingdom of fantastic creatures. Getting there isn't easy. The children must look "beyond" the ordinary, and see things in a completely different way. It's hard and dangerous work, and sometimes it seems that they'll never reach the Whangdoodle's castle. But little by little the children learn that show more with a bit of imagination, "anything" is possible. show less
Except by Professor Savant and the three children, who are determined to visit Whangdoodleland, where the last of the really great Whangdoodles rules over his kingdom of fantastic creatures. Getting there isn't easy. The children must look "beyond" the ordinary, and see things in a completely different way. It's hard and dangerous work, and sometimes it seems that they'll never reach the Whangdoodle's castle. But little by little the children learn that show more with a bit of imagination, "anything" is possible. show less
Ben, Tom and Lindy Potter are ordinary children. They lead ordinary lives - until they meet the brilliant Professor Savant. He tells them all about the Whangdoodles, the wise and magical creatures who once lived on earth but then disappeared to another land, and were forgotten forever.
Except by Professor Savant and the three children, who are determined to visit Whangdoodleland, where the last of the really great Whangdoodles rules over his kingdom of fantastic creatures. Getting there isn't easy. The children must look "beyond" the ordinary, and see things in a completely different way. It's hard and dangerous work, and sometimes it seems that they'll never reach the Whangdoodle's castle. But little by little the children learn that show more with a bit of imagination, "anything" is possible. show less
Except by Professor Savant and the three children, who are determined to visit Whangdoodleland, where the last of the really great Whangdoodles rules over his kingdom of fantastic creatures. Getting there isn't easy. The children must look "beyond" the ordinary, and see things in a completely different way. It's hard and dangerous work, and sometimes it seems that they'll never reach the Whangdoodle's castle. But little by little the children learn that show more with a bit of imagination, "anything" is possible. show less
This started off well, I liked the idea of whangdoodle land, but as it progressed I started doubting its suitability for kids.
First of all, it's quite phallic, whangdoode for instance contains two euphemisms for male genitalia.
Then there's the whole thing of these kids going to some land with a random man they do not really know, quite alarming ot be honest.
And the whangdoodle himself was rather creepy - and the cloning thing? Even creepier and a rather weird turn.
I don't know how I feel about this one. It's a shame, I was hoping it would like the Phantom Tollbooth...
First of all, it's quite phallic, whangdoode for instance contains two euphemisms for male genitalia.
Then there's the whole thing of these kids going to some land with a random man they do not really know, quite alarming ot be honest.
And the whangdoodle himself was rather creepy - and the cloning thing? Even creepier and a rather weird turn.
I don't know how I feel about this one. It's a shame, I was hoping it would like the Phantom Tollbooth...
Julie Andrews as she is known to most is a beloved children's author, the type who gets re-read, at least by my children. This book was read to them at camp, and they insisted on hearing it again from parents, and then in reading it themselves (or at least the boy did). Rarely are there actresses who are also wonderful singers who make such a perennial contribution to the literature of late childhood. It would be as though Lewis Carroll was earlier known for starring in Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and going toe to toe with Edwin Booth in drama as well. I know my timeline for this analogy might not be on point, but that's the gist of it. Julie Andrews is not the mere product of some publicity machine. She is a gifted artist who show more deserves her popularity. Her facility with writing reminds me of J. K. Rowling - the purists may disdain it at first, but eventually they come to see the power behind that rush of well-chosen words. show less
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Author Information
107+ Works 10,874 Members
Julie Andrews was born in Walton-on-Thames, England, on October 1, 1935. She is a film and stage actress. She came to the United States at the age of 19 to star in The Boyfriend on Broadway. Some of her other stage performances include My Fair Lady, Camelot and Victor/Victoria. She has starred is numerous movies including The Sound of Music, show more Thoroughly Modern Millie, 10, Victor/Victoria, The Princess Diaries, and Shrek. She won an Oscar for Mary Poppins, her very first motion picture appearance. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Academy of Film and Television and in 2000 the title of Dame was bestowed upon her by Queen Elizabeth II for lifetime achievements in the arts and humanities. She is the author or co-author of numerous children's books including Mandy, The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, Dumpy the Dump Truck, Dumpy Saves Christmas, Little Bo: The Story of Bonnie Boadicea, Little Bo in France and The Very Fairy Princess Series. She also published an autobiography, Home: A Memoir of My Early Years, in 2008. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles
- Original publication date
- 1974
- People/Characters
- Lindy Potter; Ben Potter; Tom Potter; Professor Savant; The Whangdoodle; The Prock
- Important places
- Whangdoodleland
- Dedication
- For
BLAKE
and
Emma, Geoff, Jenny, Kim, Tony, Frank,
Herb, Dad...and all the other kids around
our house...for their love, patience
and help. - First words
- It was a crisp, sunny October afternoon and Benjamin, Thomas, and Melinda Potter were visiting the Bramblewood Zoo.
- Quotations
- Lindy brought her bike alongside the professor’s. “You know so much,” she said. “Don’t you sometimes feel bewildered when you think of the millions of things that put life together?” The professor smiled. “I’m... (show all) not bewildered. I’m filled with the deepest awe and wonder. The miracle is that in its complexity it all works.”
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"Oh, I don't think so," they all answered at exactly the same moment.
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