Lindy, Thomas, and Benjamin, three ordinary siblings, ages 7 to 13, are at the zoo when they first encounter Professor Savant. You'll excuse me for butting in," he says to them. "But if you're looking for something really unusual, have you ever considered a Whangdoodle?" According to the professor, the Whangdoodle, a "fanciful creature of undefined nature," once lived in our world. It was wise, kind, and fun-loving, until people stopped believing in it. That’s when it created its own magical world and disappeared there. The children persuade Professor Savant they are worthy of accompanying him to Whangdoodleland to seek out the elusive creature, and he begins training them to sharpen and use their imaginations, the only way one can gain entrance. When the Slippery Prock, who is the Whangdoodle’s Prime Minister, discovers that the children and the professor are planning to visit Whangdoodleland, he tries to stop them with trap after trap, but the plucky children prevail. Once there, they encounter fantastical animals including the Whiffle Bird, a mob of Swamp Gaboons, and the High-Behind Splintercat. Vivid descriptions of each unusual beast should inspire children to strap on their own homemade “scappy caps,” rev up their imaginations, and draw portraits of each creature as it is introduced in the story.

You must realize by now that most children’s books, unless they are classics or win major awards, go out of print far too quickly. For a book to still be around and beloved after 35 years is extraordinary. This is one of those books. Is it because it’s by a celebrity author? No, most children won’t make the mental leap from Julie Edwards to Julie Andrews, iconic star of The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins and, for more recent filmgoers, The Princess Diaries. They just love a good fantasy with all the right elements, and this book continues to satisfy eager readers. Reading through the more than 250 glowing comments posted on Amazon.com, I noticed an interesting trend: parents and teachers, who read the book when they were young , never forgot it, and are now reading it to the kids in their lives.

Here’s a typical response, from Debby Goggins of Philadelphia: “I had a teacher who read this book to our class when I was in fourth grade. I am now 30, and the book is still one of the most creative, entertaining books I have ever read.” And from “Ms. R”: “I am currently in college studying to be an elementary school teacher and I am planning on reading this book to the children that will be in my future classrooms. I was lucky enough as a child myself to have a teacher that understood and encouraged the importance of helping children to use their imaginations. Sometimes it is hard for grown-ups to go back through the years and adopt a child's view of things and appreciate them. This book is a wonderful example of why childhood is such a magical time in all of our lives.”

Other books by the author that children will enjoy hearing aloud or tackling on their own include Mandy, about a ten-year-old orphan who discovers an abandoned cottage beyond the walls of the orphanage where she lives and makes it her own special place; and The Great American Mousical, written with Julie’s daughter, Emma Walton. Based on Edwards’s extensive knowledge of classic Broadway theater, this entertaining New York City adventure is about a troupe of mice planning a New Year’s Eve production in the basement of the about-to-be-demolished Sovereign Theater when the tempestuous and temperamental leading lady, Adelaide, disappears.

Teachers and librarians planning to read any of these books aloud will want to download the teacher’s guides at www.julieandrewscollection.com/sitev2/teachers.php. Emma Walton has just published Raising Bookworms: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment, a wonderful new book for parents looking for ways to use books with their children. For more information, plus a link to Emma’s thought-provoking blog, go to: www.beechtreebooks.com/raisingbookworms. And don’t forget to listen to James Patterson’s interview with Julie and Emma right here at READKIDDOREAD. Click on THE INTERVIEWS button at the top of the Home Page.


THEMES: ANIMALS, MYTHICAL. BROTHERS AND SISTERS. FANTASY.

A READKIDDOREAD CLASSIC

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