The Whingdingdilly by Bill Peet

“Scamp flopped down heavily on the porch with a mournful sigh.  The old farm dog had been in a miserable mood for weeks and no one knew why.  Not even his best friend Orvie Jarvis could guess what the touble might be”-Bill Peet

 

Scamp is the loveable heroine of one of my favorite children’s books entitled The Whingdingdilly written by none other than the brilliant and talented Bill Peet.

Once a happy, carefree farm dog, Scamp loved nothing more than tagging along with the young farm boy Orvie.  However, lately, on most days Scamp keeps finding himself moping around.

Scamp seems to be going through a phase that many of us go through at some point in time in our lives.  The phase I’m speaking of is simply the classic tale of struggling with one’s self-identity.  Instead of accepting who he is and being grateful for his life as a farm dog, he secretly spends his days wishing he was something else; something bigger and better!! Something like a grand horse! A Grand horse like the famous show horse Palomar!! When Scamp sees Palomar strut around he suddenly finds himself very unhappy with his own life. He can’t help but think that life would be better if he was more than just a “silly ole dog”.

Then, one fateful day he meets Zildy the witch who says she can turn him into something even greater than a horse! A Whingdingdilly!  The Whingdingdilly is a gruesome mix of a camel, elephant, giraffe, and horse!  Almost immediately Scamp regrets his decision and quickly realizes the life of a “silly ole dog” is maybe not so bad.  The rest of the story follows Scamp as he tries to get back to his farm, his boy Orvie, and most importantly, himself!

Why do I love this book?

Once again, Bill Peet teaches children an important life lesson through animals, his beautiful sketches, and his creative storytelling.  Learning to accept who we are as well as finding gratitude in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, is a lesson we as humans go through over and over. I think Bill Peet’s The Whingdingdilly is a creative cute story that teaches children that sometimes the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, and sometimes, getting what we want isn’t always what’s best for us!

When I read this story I think of times in my life when I’ve experienced those unanswered wishes or prayers.  Only to find out later how grateful I was that those prayers went unanswered.  Perhaps they were answered all along??  The answers were just not what I thought I needed or wanted at the moment.  But just like Scamp, I thought life would be better if my desires came true. However, after having to go through some difficult lessons, Scamp and I have both learned that life is not always that cut and dry.  And who we are and what we have all along is sometimes exactly all we need.  We may even discover it’s pretty darn great!!

Bill Peet is my favorite children’s author!  And if you’ve read my last Bill Peet book review of Kermit the Hermit and enjoyed it, I encourage you to read Bill Peets’s sweet tale of  The Whingdingdilly. I hope your children find it as captivating as I did as a little girl!!  And as an adult, I hope you find is as utterly charming as I do now!!!  Read it!! I know you and your kids will love it!!

To learn more about Bill Peet and his other books you can visit the site http://www.billpeet.net

P.S.    Hey Friends and fellow Pet Lovers!!!  My blog was just recently added to Feedspot’s Top Pet Blogs List in their recent newsletter!! Go to https://blog.feedspot.com/pet_blogs/to find my blog as well as a great list of wonderful informative pet blogs!!  Check it out!!