Plot Summary: The Duchess of Whimsy is a little snobbish about her associations. She likes very interesting people. She does not enjoy the attention of one of her suitors, the Earl of Norm. He is definitely not one of the most interesting guests at her parties despite his misguided attempts to impress her. One night, the cook gets sick, and the guests have to pitch in to do the cooking. While most of the guests try complicated recipes that require massive amounts of time and expertise, the Earl of Norm makes a grilled cheese sandwich. The sandwich catches the eye of the Duchess of Whimsy and he offers her a bite. She loves it. She then discovers that he is more interesting than she thought and they fall in love and live happily ever after.
Personal Reaction:
I love this book! I am very into fairy tales, and I also feel like the message (a spinoff of “don’t judge a book by its cover”) is a very important one for children. The illustrations are heavenly and really add to the story. A written description of The Duchess would never be as effective for character development as her picture. In addition, the artist’s depiction of The Duchess with her larger than life hair and gown are a great visual foil to The Earl’s tall and lanky physique. I also liked how he achieved the same height as she because he is depicted in the same wheeled shoes (the only thing that has changed about his appearance by the end of the book).
de Seve, R., & de Seve, P. (2009). The Duchess of Whimsy: an absolutely delicious fairy tale. New York: Philomel Books.
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