The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles

by Julie Andrew Edwards

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles was the second children’s novel ever written by Julie Andrews, the beloved star of Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. Perfect for young readers who love whimsical stories about magic!

The Whangdoodle was once the wisest, the kindest, and the most extraordinary creature in the world. Then he disappeared and created a wonderful land for himself and all the other remarkable animals—the ten-legged Sidewinders, the little furry Flukes, the friendly Whiffle Bird, and the treacherous, "oily" Prock. It was an almost perfect place where the last of the really great Whangdoodles could rule his kingdom with "peace, love and a sense of fun"—apart from and forgotten by people.

But not completely forgotten. Professor Savant believed in the Whangdoodle. And when he told the three Potter children of his search for the spectacular creature, Lindy, Tom, and Ben were eager to reach Whangdoodleland.

With the Professor's help, they discovered the secret way. But waiting for them was the scheming Prock, who would use almost any means to keep them away from his beloved king. Only by skill and determination were the four travelers able to discover the last of the really great Whangdoodles and grant him his heart's desire.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens

206 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 17, 2022

Reviews

[Wysteria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it! This is an amazing book about using your imagination. I think this would be hard for a child to read because of scientific words.

[Mallory Gorringe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great children’s novel for ages 7-12.

It’s giving The Wizard of Oz meets Alice in Wonderland and Roald Dahl.

A fun story about 3 children and professor Savant who make the dangerous and ambitious journey to Whangdoodleland. They learn many crucial life lessons and above all, to use their imaginations and lean into their strengths.

Cute. Would read to my class or do a novel study with.

[Kacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Natalie said she would give this 10 stars if she could! She liked the adventurous spirit of the story and the problems that arise along the way.

[Ellen Cosgrove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book club read. This child’s book was recommended by several parents/teachers in our group. It was entertaining. Julie Andrews’ artistic skills go beyond singing and acting.

[Haley Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book of all time.

[Sage Rubeo · Rating 5 out of 5]

a combo of alice in wonderland and charlie and the chocolate factory to me. loved

[Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite childhood books and I don't think I will ever stop loving it

[em · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️: i don't think that reading a children's book got me out of my reading slump but it was kind of fun ngl

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decided to re-read this one when a question prompt was brought up in a group chat about books that left an impact from our childhood, and this one was my answer. I went to look for it and realized that I no longer had my original copy, and so I went and purchased one so that I'd have it in my library.

While not a ground-breaking piece of literature, and by no means something that I'd call a literary masterpiece, the world that Julie Andrews has created in this book is something I'd call magical. I can remember as a kid reading this book for the first time wishing that I too could step through a hedge and turn up in a mystical world, that I could meet the Whiffle Bird and pet the Splinter Cat, that I could find myself on an incredible journey that I'd never forget. As a kid, the characters and the story had me hooked.

As an adult, re-reading the book, I was able to enjoy the book all over again but from a different point of view. I saw all of the lessons woven through the story that I was too young to pick up on, and found myself wondering just what kind of parents would let their three young children go off wandering around with a stranger (the logistics don't really make much sense in the book, but for the sake of the story you have to just casually overlook this part).

It was really fun to journey back to a world I loved as a child, and experience it once more. Three and a half stars, rounding down to three for Goodreads.

[Rebecca Mansfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

To begin, you have to acknowledge that 1974 when this book was published was a very different time than now (2025).
The premise of this book is that three children ages 6-13 meet a strange man at a zoo, then again on Halloween. He invites them into his home and arranges to meet with them frequently with the caveat that they may not, under any circumstance, divulge any of the details of the meetings to their parents.

Halfway through the book, the man (now a Nobel-prize winning “professor”) tells the children they must do absolutely everything he says, and obey him without hesitation.
The parents of the children allow the children to meet with him and even do an overnight trip with him while the parents are out of town, without much looking into the situation at all.

All of this SCREAMS child predator setup.

Which disturbed me so much, I wasn’t able to enjoy the rest of the book, even though the imaginative journeys are colorful and full of “magic” and life lessons.

Unfortunately, I would not recommend that children read this book due to the way the relationship with the professor is set up, if they might think any aspect of that was “normal” or acceptable. Absolutely not.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A teacher of mine growing up had read this for "read aloud" in class, and I had forgotten about it until rediscovering Julie Andrews' bibliography (at the time I didn't realize it was her, since her "pen name" was using her husband's surname and I remember a version of this with the cover stating the author's name was Julie Edwards). Coming back to it many years later as an adult, it was just as whimsical and delightful as I remembered. What I didn't remember were the many delicious insights into the world of imagination and mindful awareness of the senses, lessons for all ages. Every creature and concept in Whangdoodleland was something so creative to read about and craft in the mind's eye, and I love the fact that Julie wrote this with no illustrator in mind so the folks reading it could use their own imaginations to create their Whangdoodleland to their own fancies. I didn't want to leave this beautiful world and once I did, I heeded the beautiful reminder of the professor that we have all the tools we need to make our own world as wonderful as Whangdoodleland.

[Cassidy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second grade teacher read this book to my class. Something about it stuck with me all these years. I vividly remembered the first chapter. Almost every line was exactly as I remembered. But the rest of it was as if it was the first time with slight Deja Vu. Over the years I’ve referred to this book often, about the importance of seeing the details in life and looking up more. His yellow butterfly umbrella is often on my mind, especially when it rains.
This is such a beautiful book about the importance of imagination. How it’s possible to keep it forever if we practice it as an art and believe beyond the world we know.
It’s also more of an adventure story than I remember. With interesting creatures that remind me of Willy wonka and other stories of my youth. Even moments of anxiety, fear, deep sadness, and joy can be felt despite the short story it is. I read this in one evening and it was absolutely worth it. Nostalgic in a way I’ve missed.
I always wanted to go on an adventure outside of our world like this. It’s magic.

[Kendall D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sure, this is a children’s fantasy novel. But that shouldn’t stop you! (Side note: there’s a reason why adults are always chasing that childlike wonder… connect with your inner child!)

The first time I read this book was in 3rd grade; not sure if ‘reading’ is the right word… a teacher read this aloud every day. From there, my peers & I stretched our imaginations through world-building activities like drawing the famous Whangdoodle or infamous Prock. Or even sketching our own versions of Whangdoodleland. (Shoutout to you, Ms. Taylor.)

All this to say, this book has stuck with me for several years. Now, in my early 20s, a quick reread revived all the feelings I had as an 8 year old hearing this tale for the first time: excitement, creativity, & wonder. So here’s my shameless plug to reread your childhood favorites. Younger you liked them for a reason, & older you deserves to know why.

[Craig Williford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun elementary school book and one of the first books I ever really loved. The book is *very* sincere by today’s standards, almost as cloying as a bubble gum tree. There’s not a trace of irony or skepticism here. Your imagination really is that amazing. Your senses are a miracle. Kind of like a cotton candy pilgrim’s progress though modernist through and through. Really drags at the end

Some stuff I especially liked
- standing in the garden to see everything including its texture, hue, perspective. What a fun way to teach young readers & dampened adults how to read with your minds eye.
- the way she describes normal things with different colors & sounds. Again, ingenious little way to teach young readers to flex their imagination.
- how a play on words or idiom were taken up literally into a real fantasy realm. Fun stuff

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remembered my 6th grade teacher reading this book out loud in class and really liking it, so I decided to read it out loud to the kids. They didn't really like it. They said the last quarter of the book was probably the best and to be honest, I did like it but not nearly as much as I thought I did. I think there is a lot of meaning behind the adventure but they picked up on that and more "rolled their eyes" at the obviousness of it.

I'm glad we read it but it wasn't as intriguing as other books.

[Natalie Kearsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

My year 5 teacher read this to us as a class. It has stuck with me for 27 years and I’ve always remembered the word “wangdoodle”. It clearly made a mark on my young life. My teacher Mr Wotkinson ignited a love of books for me, he used to voice every character and bring the story to life! I will always remember him.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books as a young reader! Now that I’ve read it again it’s whimsical and a hilarious adventure. There were so many quality life lessons which are in pretty plain language. I didn’t remember how many lessons there were through the journey to meet the last of the really great whangdoodles but it’s easy for me to see now why I remember loving this sweet little book.

[Teresa S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as a senior adult. My niece told me how much she and her brother enjoyed this book as children. She bought me a copy as I said I wanted to read it. I loved it! It took me back to the magic of my childhood and just enjoying a book for where the imagination takes you, without having to dissect it.

[Ana Ashton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful! A great story about imagination, believing in yourself and others, with nuggets of wisdom scattered throughout. As wonderful as you’d expect a story authored by Julie Andrews to be!

A children’s chapter book (my 8 year old daughter read it first), I’m so glad I explored Whangdoddle land!

[Vanessa Adelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my daughter’s and my February book club pick which we just finished. It was very different, and though my 11 year old loved it (she gave it 4.25 stars) there were some problematic occurrences that didn’t sit well with me.
Still a unique read full of wonderful characters, whimsy and imagination.

[Andrew Heitland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was gifted to me from my now retired 5th grade teacher, and I read it for her. I loved every second, got me giggling, laughing, and crying. I loved the Whangdoodle, and how he got so happy when he got a wife. King Whangdoodle was definitely my favorite character. This book was a delite, and so good. I’d totally re read!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot of this book was very interesting. Engaging storyline, fun characters, and lot's of adventure. However, I did not like the children being told to keep secret from their parents and this was mentioned more than once. So for that reason I had to give this book only three stars.

[Martin Beaudry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my all time favorite book! a must read for fantasy fans!

[Robbinette · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderful fantasy for children. It reminded me of Alice in Wonderland and The Chronicles of Narnia. I think children would love this 📖

[Nicole Wilson]

A great book that I read when I was young and still read today.

[Cassidy B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have many magical memories of reading this book growing up. The first time I read it I stayed up late under the covers with a flashlight!

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

나중에 아이 있다면 꼭 같이 읽고 싶은 책. 나니아보다 더 어린 나이에 읽을 정도임. Nana would love it.

[Bruce Sembar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice kids book. I'm not a Ten- twel
ve year old so it wasn't my cup of tea, but I think it would have been interesting to a younger reader.

[Chris Seals · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great fantasy. I loved it.