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The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles,25th editon Hardcover – January 1, 1997

by J. Andrews Edwards (Author)

4.8 1,344 ratings

Part of: Julie Andrews Collection (17 books)

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What on earth is a Whangdoodle? A "fanciful creature of undefined nature," it was also once the wisest, kindest, most fun-loving living thing in the world--until people stopped believing in it. When that lack of faith became widespread, the last of the really great Whangdoodles created a special land full of extraordinary furry Flukes, the sly High-Behind Splintercat, and the wonderful Whiffle Bird. But when an open-minded professor--the one adult who still believes in the Whangdoodle--joins forces with three children with active imaginations, they become an unstoppable team on a fantastic and sometimes terrifying journey to Whangdoodleland. Readers who have explored Narnia, Oz, or Willy Wonka's chocolate factory will be thrilled at this new destination--a marvelous land that will inspire and stimulate creative and scientific minds. And who better to expose young readers to new ways of seeing, smelling, and hearing than Julie (Andrews) Edwards of Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music fame? Her lively and clever style pulls readers along effortlessly; she, like the professor, is one grownup who can teach children never to close their minds to possibility. (Ages 9 to 12)

Reading age

7 - 10 years, from customers
Part of series

Julie Andrews Collection
Language

English
Publication date

January 1, 1997
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00754JJ24
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 7 - 10 years, from customers
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.58 pounds

Best Sellers Rank: #4,951,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.8 1,344 ratings

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Julie Edwards

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Julie Andrews Edwards is one of the most recognized figures in the world of entertainment. She is perhaps best known for her performances in Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, and The Princess Diaries. Ms. Edwards is the author of many favorite children's books, including Mandy and The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles.

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4.8 out of 5

1,344 global ratings

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Cheryl Browning

What a good book!!!

Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2024

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I was very pleased with the book!!! I loved that there isn't any pictures so the imagination has to work!!! I read it before I gave it to my grandaughter & loved it so much & know she will too!!!

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2023

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I love this book. Bought it used 25 years ago and just bought the hardcover for all of my children. My only question is why the photograph implies they are signed copies?

One person found this helpful

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4boyz4me

Lovely book! Now I want to see a Whangdoodle!

Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2017

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Review first posted on jenasbookreviews.blogspot.com

It was a strange day at the zoo when Lindy, Tom, and Ben met Professor Savant. They thought he was strange when he told them about Whangdoodles but figured he was harmless and they'd never see him again. Until Halloween when Lindy said she would knock at the spookiest house on the block and who should it belong to but Professor Savant. The children had been noodling over what he said and he invites them to come learn with him how to get to Whangdoodleland to try and meet the very Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles. They will need to use every bit of imagination they possess and learn how to harness it properly to make the trip and it will take several trips to try and get to his palace especially since the Prime Minister, Oily Prock, does not want them to disturb the Whangdoodle and will do everything in his power to stop them making it to the castle.

A sweet tale of never giving up and remembering how powerful your imagination can be. I've seen several reviews compare it to Oz and Narnia and it's very easy to see why but at the same time, it's a much gentler story than those so even children who are sensitive would likely enjoy it. Dame Edwards does not disappoint as this is just the kind of story you could see her Mary Poppins telling to children in her keeping.

Note, I see that some people have expressed concern about the children entering into secret packs with a stranger. First, the Professor is known the parents although the exact nature of the relationship with the children is not but he does make it a point to contact their parents and tell them he is giving them lessons. As a parent, I think this can be used as a teaching moment about good secrets vs. bad secrets and to have a frank discussion with your child about how this is lovely in literature but not something you would want them to be keeping from you in real life. If you are concerned about that content, maybe read it yourself and decide if it's the right thing for your family or not. Not every book is right for everyone and you know your situation best.

21 people found this helpful

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Brooke

Nostalgic

Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2023

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Read this book as a child, and it was just as good as I remember it. Great read for young artsy kiddos

Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2023

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I very good book! To be read to your children! If they are good readers can read themselves.

Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2022

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I think this book would be well-loved by many children! A lot of fun and adventure!

One person found this helpful

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theboombody

Say No to Snoozers and Read Something Fun

Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2007

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You know, when I think about books written by celebrities, I think, "Oh gosh, another attempt by a publishing company to make some big bucks through the use of an over-hyped name with no writing talent behind it." Thankfully, Mrs. Andrews was able to write a pretty good book. It's quite fun and imaginative, even if its ideas bear some similarity to the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory film at certain points.

I noticed that during some scenes - the bike scene in particular - the narration alternated between simply worded sentences and complex metaphorical descriptions constructed from vocabulary a college graduate may not know. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but the style does seem to waiver somewhat in a few places, and could have been polished up a bit.

But, if you're like me, you'd take a fun unpolished story over a perfectly polished snoozer any day. It's too bad that most books out there are more like polished snoozers than anything else. No wonder lots of kids don't want to read. At least Julie Andrews knows how to make a fun and engaging story, filled with all sorts of fantastic visions. I mean...we see purple trees, a giant cat, a musical river, some ten-legged monsters, a train made of clouds, a VERY fluffy bird, and the Whangdoodle himself seems to be some kind of chameleon-moose with slippers growing out of his feet. If ever I've seen a cotton-candy book, this is it.

When Hollywood's looking for ideas for movies (which they probably are doing now after Snakes on a Plane) it couldn't hurt them to peer into this Whangdoodle book. Talk about something I'd like to see!

3 people found this helpful

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Candace

My favorite childhood book!

Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2023

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This is the book that made me fall in love with reading as a child and I can't wait to read it to my granddaughter!

One person found this helpful

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Tori Walker

The best

Reviewed in Canada on January 23, 2021

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Get this for your kids, such a classic story. As a child who was terrible at learning in school, this story caught my attention back in the 6th grade. And I have remembered it since, and then bought it threw Amazon years later. I am happy to say the story is still great, and I will be so happy to read it to my own children in the future.

Caeline

Great book with a real meaning

Reviewed in France on February 1, 2017

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Unlike the other children books that I've read, this one has a deep meaning. It's a real breath of fresh hair, helping the children to admire, behold the nature, the present, the surroundings .... Each detail is important (nowaday on their phone and computer, admiring stupid famous peaple :( ) Anyway, I read this when I was 21 years old and I would not say that It is reserved to children. (Why do they have the best stories ? And adult should read annoying adult things ?)
Moreover this book help you to work on your imagination you know, the thing that almost disappear by going to school and work ...
I would definitely read this book again and show it to my childreeeeeeeen !

One person found this helpful

No

A perfect bedtime reading story. Magical.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2016

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The only problem with reviewing this product is that I am now middle aged and have loved this book since I was a child so I may be biased. However, unlike most of my experiences of returning to childhood things as an adult and usually being heavily disappointed I am still smitten with this book. I sat and read it all night in one session and enjoyed every moment.
I have unfortunately lost my original copy but wanted to be able to read this to my own children.
The story itself is quite frankly everything a small child could want and I think you should read it for yourself to see what I mean. It is easy to read with a few minor challenges to both a child and parents vocabulary.. often to the amusement of my children and to me when I was a child. Some of the creatures names are more than unusual but eventually make some sense.
The copy itself seems to be pretty sturdy. Hard cover, well constructed as expected. I would not consider buying a paperback of a story I know will be read again and again and again.
I am just grateful to be able to obtain another copy as a number of years ago going to a specialist book seller/finder was time consuming and expensive.

5 people found this helpful