Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Series
By Jan Carr,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Woman finds silly cures for bad behavior in whimsical tales.
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Based on 3 parent reviews
Disrespectful of children’s feelings
Good but can encourage people to be disobedient
What's the Story?
The books in the MRS. PIGGLE-WIGGLE series feature a fun but quirky older woman who invites all the neighborhood kids into her upside-down house and also helps their moms with the kids' sometimes difficult behavior. Each chapter features a specific behavior problem, such as talking back or refusing to share. For each, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle suggests a "cure" that involves letting the kids' behavior stand, thereby exaggerating the consequences. For instance, a girl who won't take a bath gets so dirty that they plant radish seeds on her, which sprout. For a kid who talks back, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle provides a parrot who talks back to the kid using her own snippy language. When taken to the silly and absurd, the kids see the error of their ways.
Is It Any Good?
These classic books written mid-20th century have an old-fashioned charm and infectious silliness that will tickle the funny bone of contemporary kids. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is a throwback to an earlier age when kids were free to roam their neighborhoods and hang out at the home of a woman living alone -- the wife of a dead pirate! She's a favorite because she's something of a big kid herself, never too grown-up to get down on the floor with them and play. What kids wouldn't love someone who lets them dig up her yard in search of buried treasure? The behavior "cures" found in the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series are palatable because, at heart, she loves and understands the kids, and her guidance allows kids to take their behavior to absurd and therefore very funny lengths.
Many of the characters have seriously silly names, like Mrs. Wingsproggle and Mrs. Crankminor, or highfalutin' ones like Paraphernalia and Pergola. No kid does anything too bad -- they quarrel with their siblings, refuse to pick up their toys -- so most kids will recognize themselves and have fun laughing at the book and themselves.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the bad behaviors in the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series. Do you ever behave these ways? What do you think about Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's "cures."
What details can you find in the stories that seem old fashioned or out of date? Do you like books that are set in another time?
Can you find all the funny names? Why do you think the author gave so many characters silly names like Mrs. Broomrack and Mrs. Moohead?
Book Details
- Author: Betty MacDonald
- Illustrator: Alexandra Boiger
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Brothers and Sisters
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
- Publication date: January 1, 1947
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 128
- Available on: Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback
- Last updated: July 13, 2017
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