Peter and The Whimper-Whineys

Have you ever experienced periods where your children drive you crazy with whining?  Come on, be honest, we’ve all suffered through this stage a time or two…or three.., well, you get the picture.  There are even times when I even annoy myself by whining!  Unfortunately, I’m not the perfect role model all of the time…or even most of the time, but I do try.  Thankfully, Sherrill S. Cannon was also such a child, and her mother had a creative story she used to tell the children.  It was called Peter And The Whimper-Whineys.

Peter And The Whimper-Whineys was the first book written by Sherrill S. Cannon.  In fact, it re-tells the story her mother had told her children, grand-children, and great-grandchildren.  Sherrill thought it had such good value that she put the story to paper, using her lovely rhyming style that helps to lighten the mood in this darker book.

Peter is a little rabbit, and he’s not a very happy bunny.  He has a very negative attitude.  He thinks that life isn’t fair; his sister has more soup in her bowl, more jam on her roll, and he doesn’t want to share or play with her.  He wants everything his way.  Peter’s mother tells him that if he doesn’t calm down and stop whining, he’ll be sent away into the forest with the Whimper-Whineys.

Who are the Whimper-Whineys?

When Peter goes to bed that night, he leaves the house and finds a strange man in the forest who has come to take him to Whimper-Whiney Land.  The Whimper-Whineys live deep in the forest and they spend their days crying so much that they’ve created ponds.  Everything is sour in Whimper-Whiney Land.  Their milk has curdled with their salty tears, and everything has gone bad.  They don’t have any table-manners and are generally rude.  No one is happy in Whimper-Whiney Land.

Finally Peter has had enough of the ill-mannered Whimper-Whineys and tries to head home.  He doesn’t know which way to go when he stubs his toe and wakes up in his own bed once again.

With the sun shining, and his mother calling him for breakfast, Peter realizes that it has all been a dream.

What do my children think about Peter and The Whimper-Whineys?

My children were excited to receive this book from Sherrill, and as you can see, it’s this book that has Tristan’s attention!

Peter and The Whimper-Whineys puts a smile on the children’s face if I ask them if they are a Whimper-Whiney when the day is long and the tempers are short.  It’s enough to distract them and I can redirect their attention to something else.  There is a common theme among all of Sherrill’s books, and that is that you’ll find a moral in each of them.  This story fits right in with the fairy tales of old.  The actions of the characters have consequences (don’t talk to strangers, don’t go into the forest alone).

It can be hard when you’re stuck in a cycle of being sour and not liking things. You may not always have control over the actions of others or the things around you.  However, you can have control of yourself and your own attitude.  Tristan’s favourite part of the story is the final page because Peter is happy.  I love that he’s such a positive kid!

I snapped this photo of Tristan having a quiet moment looking over Peter And The Whimper-Whineys before we sat  down to read it.

If you’d like to see a little more about this, and other books Sherrill has written (Gimme-Jimmy, The Magic Word,  My Fingerpaint Masterpiece, Santa’s Birthday Gift, or Manner Man), she has some sample pages available to read on Freado. “I love the music of words, and I try to help children hear that music…”  If you like what you see, you can find out more about Sherrill on her webpage, follow her on Facebook, or learn more about raising money for the JM Foundation.  

The latest press release has Sherrill being the recipient of 28 awards in total for her 6 children’s books!  What an honour, and well-deserved as her books are entertaining, colourful, and also tell a real-life lesson.  My children love her books, and we wonder just what she’ll be coming up with next.  Sherrill has plenty of experiences to draw from when she writes.  She enjoys travelling across the USA in her camper to visit with her children and grand-children.  She’s also a retired elementary school teacher, which no doubt provided a treasure-trove of ideas for her books.

Do you have a Wimper-Whiney in your home?  How do you deal with it?  Let me know by leaving a comment below.

If you’d like to purchase one of Sherrill’s books, they’re available through this affiliate link.

Sherrill’s books are now making their way to Story Time Pup, where children can listen to them being read: