This is not a book for children.
It looks like a children's book. It has pictures. It has a saccharine-sweet title. The main characters are a little girl and her teddy bear. But all of that is just protective coloration. The truth is, this is a book for adults with a dark sense of humor and an appreciation of old-school faerie tales.
There are three separate endings to the book. Depending on where you stop, you are left with an entirely different story. One ending is sweet, another is horrible. The last one is the true ending, the one with teeth in it.
The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle is a dark twist on the classic children's picture-book. I think of it as Calvin and Hobbes meets Coraline, with some Edward Gorey mixed in.
Simply said: This is not a book for children.
I discovered The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Thing Beneath the Bed over at Stainless Steel Droppings. I followed Carl's advice and checked my library for a copy. What a gem this turned out to be! As the description states, this is not a book for children. The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle is definitely for people with a dark sense of humor.
Mr. Whiffle is the Princess's teddy bear. They spend their days playing outside and having fun adventures together.
The Princess and Mr. Whiffle are not frightened during the day.
The Princess and Mr. Whiffle, however, do not like the dark. There is something in the castle that loves the dark.
The Princess and Mr. Whiffle was such a unique and delightful read. I loved the illustrations (by Nate Taylor), and I just really enjoyed experiencing this book. It made me smile, laugh, gasp, cover my eyes and peak out in terror... It also made me immediately reread it. If you are a fan of dark fairy tales, you will love The Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Thing Beneath the Bed.
8/10: Great read
