Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic

My 6-year-old daughter is as charmed by these stories as I was back in the day--we are working our way happily through the whole series of four. We've all wished for magic potions to fix our problems, but most of these cures rely on Mrs. P.W.'s imagination, humor and common-sense more than just magic (our mutual favorite is the Radish Cure for the girl who won't take a bath). Everyone--parents and kid--ends up happier after Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle steps in. The portrayal of 1950's domestic life is sly and funny but also sympathetic--the jaunty, distracted fathers who leave for the office each morning, the weary mothers obsessed with their children's behavior, housekeeping, and creating elaborate meals. The descriptions of breakfasts alone are enough to make you nostalgic--eggs, porridge, bacon--on a school day!--as is the general picture of pre-TV neighborhood life, treehouses, go-carts, games of kick-the-can and parcheesi. One of those rare books that's equally fun for parents and kids, and the Hilary Knight illustrations are perfection. Let's hope they never make a film version.

This book is so cute! I love the remedies for the childhood "illnesses", because they are so creative and humorous. If you liked the boxed set, you will LOVE this book. Take my word for it...

I have just finshed reading Mrs. Piggle - Wiggle's Magic by Betty MacDonald. In this book Mrs.Piggle-Wiggle tells storys about cures that she made, such as the tattletale cure or the thought-you-saiders cure and many more. I like this book because it has all different kinds of little stories in it. Mrs.Piggle-Wiggle seems like a very nice lady but when she gets poor, she asks all the kids that she knows to help her look for money and gold that is hidden in her house. I gave this book five stars because it was very interesting and a little funny.

I read Mrs. Piggle Wiggle when I was seven and eight and gained a love for reading from these books, and a love for these books. Mrs. Piggle Wiggle is a wonderful old woman living in an upside-down house whom children love, and she loves them back. In addition to living in a haven for children, she helps their parents cure their children from bad habits or disobediance. In this particular book, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle cures three children from "thought you said itis", in which three children hear things all wrong. This story made me laugh hysterically when I was younger, and I still laugh at it today. I was raised with these books, and I still love them today, ten years later. I gladly read these to the children I baby-sit and will enjoy reading them to my children in the future.

I read this book as a child..and never knew there were more books about Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle until I was quite grown up! This one remains my favorite, however. The pages of my copy are quite worn where I turned the pages ...and read and re-read the stories. Yes, times have changed and much is different today from the 50's but Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's delightful acceptance of children with all their foibles is still an inspiration to all parents --and a reminder to me as a mom to lighten up and laugh with my kids and their antics. Betty MacDonald is very clever in bringing childish faults to light by way of terribly funny situations and even more preposterous cures. I LOVE THIS BOOK! and so do my girls.