Product Description

The incomparable Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle loves children good or bad and never scolds but has positive cures for Answer-Backers, Never-Want-to-Go-to-Bedders, and other boys and girls with strange habits. ‘[Now] in paperback . . . for a new generation of children to enjoy.' 'San Francisco Examiner Chronicle.

Meet Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle! She's the kind of grown-up you would like to have for a friend-and all her friends are children. She is a little lady with brown sparkly eyes. She lives in an upside-down house, with a kitchen that is always full of freshly baked cookies. Her husband was a pirate, and she likes to have her friends dig in the back yard for the pirate treasure he buried there.

Best of all, she knows everything there is to know about children. When a distraught parent calls her because Mary has turned into an Answer-Backer or Dick has become Selfish or Allen has decided to be a Slow-Eater-Tiny-Bite-Taker, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has the answer. And her solutions always work, with plenty of laughs along the way.

So join the crowd at Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's house-and enjoy the comical, common-sense cures that have won her so many friends.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #223489 in Books
• Published on: 1957-01-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 144 pages

From Amazon.com
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has been wildly popular with children and adults for over 50 years. Children adore her because she understands them--and because her upside-down house is always filled with the smell of freshly baked cookies, and her backyard with buried treasure. Grownups love her because her magical common sense solutions to children's problems succeed when their own cajoling and yelling don't. For the child who refuses to bathe, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle recommends letting her be. Wait until the dirt on her body has accumulated to half an inch, then scatter radish seeds on her arms and head. When the plants start sprouting, the nonbather is guaranteed to change her mind about that bath.

Hilary Knight's (Eloise, Sunday Morning) delightful pictures provide lively, droll accompaniment to Betty MacDonald's refreshing stories. Whether Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is curing Answer-Backers or Slow-Eater-Tiny-Bite-Takers, her remedies always work like a charm. More than one parent over the years has surreptitiously turned to Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle when Dr. Spock failed to come through. (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3-Children will love this recording of the classic written by Betty MacDonald (HarperCollins, 1957) and read by Karen White. Youngsters are still fascinated with the idea of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle who says that the hump on her back is full of magic. The house she shares with her dog, Wag, and cat, Lightfoot, is built upside-down except for the kitchen, bath, and stairs. Her past, which is somewhat mysterious, includes a pirate husband who supposedly buried treasure in the backyard. Unlike most parents, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle understands exactly what children like to do to entertain themselves. The funny names and exaggerated situations add to the fun. In addition to providing a childhood wonderland in her home, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has a storehouse of "cures" for common childhood diseases including the Won't-Pick-Up-Toys cure, the Answer-Backer cure, the Never-Want-to-Go-to-Bedders cure, the Slow-Eater-Tiny-Bite-Taker cure, and several others. White perfectly captures the whiny voices of the children as well as the desperation of the parents. The portrayal of the parents in the stereotypes typical of the 1950's fits into the whole fantasy of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's world. This recording will find a large audience in public library children's collections and elementary school libraries.
Maureen Cash Moffet, St. Anne's Catholic School Library, Bristol, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
Teaching children to behave well is rarely an easy task--ask any parent. But while Mary Poppins uses magic to help her, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle uses her wits and her knowledge and love of children to teach them to be kind, helpful and well-behaved. No matter the problem--selfishness, not telling the truth, not putting away their toys--Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has a delightful cure. John McDonough's Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is kind, even-tempered and wise, without being overbearing or a know-it-all. His narration brings us back to the time when children did as they were told, except when they were just acting like kids. McDonough differentiates the various adults and children with inflection, tone and pacing, but his reading of Penelope the Parrot, in the "Talking-Back Cure," is priceless. A charming reading of a timeless classic. W.L.S. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

How now shall we live?
I am not an expert book reviewer, but I do have kids and I am a teacher. The Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books create an image for young readers that they may not come up with on their own. While killing someone with a butcher knife may not be condoned by the author as a good thing, that is one example of an image in the book that I, for one, don't want to put into a k-3 graders head...or even older for that matter. If we have an increase in school violence on the news, then why put negative images like killing and hating in their heads when they are in kindergarten or 1st or 2nd grade?? Betty Macdonald's intentions are not to promote but to entertain and then condemn these types of behavior, but why even put the thought of killing someone with a butcher knife in their little heads?? Here is the portion of the book I am referring to... just so you know I am not making this up!! "Connie(sister's name)stood in the doorway said,"What a repulsive little show-off! My Gosh, Mother, can't you see how disgusting he is?"
..."Shoot him, Mother! Kill him! Cut him up with the butcher knife. Mommy, he embarrasses me in front of my stupid, ugly, giggling friends."
"Now, children," said Mrs. Carmoday gently.

Please don't willingly put these thoughts into your or anyone else's kids' minds!

Rollicking Good Fun
This is a hilarious, rollicking-good-fun read aloud. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle lives in an upside-down house and knows everything there is to know about children. She also has the most wonderful cures for common childhood ailments such as won't-pick-up-toy-itis and won't-take-a-bath-itis. Told in an episodic format, each chapter is it's own little story. I believe some of the chapters have been published as picture books also. My 7yo enjoyed this very much. We both laughed out loud and both have the same favourite chapter which is the story of the little girl who wouldn't wash and ended up having radishes growing out of her forehead. I've read this book several times now but haven't read any of the sequels but I think I may have to change that. I also must mention that the Hilary Knight (best known for the Eloise books) illustrations are adorable.

Even the title brings back happy memories!
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is one of those books you just never forget! I enjoyed it as a child and in turn read it to my three boys. The stories are hilarious and even though the lessons are transparent they are easily enjoyed by reader and listener alike. It's a shame that this book is no longer available! I'm going to make sure I hold on to my copy!