Uncle Wiggily Bedtime Stories: In Easy-To-Read Type

This is a collection of very simple stories for children, and would be very boring were it not for occassional bits of wonderful nonsense from the narrator. Uncle Wiggily goes camping, goes to the dentist, finds a penny, and so on and so on. These plots are probably fine and dandy for kids, but come on, we can read hundreds of similar stories anywhere. Fortunately the author senses the need for some additional spice and always ends his stories with something that's beyond ridiculous like (and I'm just paraphrasing here), "Next week, if the walking cane doesn't wrap itself in a knot and smear molasses all over the cat, I'll tell you about the time Uncle Wiggily found some lemons." While going through the latter end of this short book, I found myself liking Uncle Wiggily more and more. He's a pretty cool guy. He's got a bad case of rheumatism and deals with it by sporting a neat red, white, and blue striped walking cane. (Maybe I added an extra color there, but I picture the fellow as patriotic.) He also builds his own airship and drives a car made out of vegetables. I hear that all of the Uncle Wiggily stories are public domain now, and since they were once printed in daily newspapers, I'm sure there are plenty of them floating around out there. Still, it's nice to have something in a page-turning format. For a few cents and 4 bucks shipping, it's well worth it. And since the introduction claims that the term "bedtime stories" came from the Uncle Wiggily tales, a book like this has some historical value as well.

I was an early reader, and no stories pleased me more than the Uncle Wiggly ones. They were interesting and ethically instructive. I now have a baby girl, and she will be reading these creative tales rather than those that sent poor William Bennet down the road to becoming The Gambling Gourmand.

Uncle Wiggily was one of the stories I remembered my dad reading to me when I was about 3 or 4. It was my favorite bedtime story. I was surprised to find it still in print all these years later, but I guess I ought not to be. The stories are funny and timeless. A joy to kids and the parent reading will enjoy them too. And they always end with a cute line such as "If the rubber hose doesn't tie itself in a knot and rub molasses all over the postman's umbrella, I'll tell you the (next story.)" Since the copyrights have expired the price so low no parent ought to be without it.

I am 60 years old; when I was a child of 5 or so, my mother got me the Uncle Wiggily stories; I still love them! They are charming with true Christian values; I was of a Jewish household, but recognized this many years later when I converted to Christianity. They teach love and generosity of spirit, while being entertaining, sometimes (gently) scarey,and funny. I still shudder at the thought of the Skillery-Skallery Alligator and the Skeezix. Every child should have dozens of these books by Howard R. Garis!

I am 60 years old; when I was a child of 5 or so, my mother got me the Uncle Wiggily stories; I still love them! They are charming with true Christian values; I was of a Jewish household, but recognized this many years later when I converted to Christianity. They teach love and generosity of spirit, while being entertaining, and funny. I still shudder at the thought of the Skillery-Skallery Alligator and the Skeezix. Every child should have dozens of these books by Howard R. Garis!