October 1, 2010

Forget-Me-Nots: The Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series

This is a feature on my blog for highlighting books I enjoyed in childhood and the teenage years that I don't see getting much attention nowadays.


The pick this week:

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty Macdonald (and the others in the series: Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle; Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm; Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic)



Amazon's description of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle:

"Everyone loves Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle lives in an upside-down house and smells like cookies. She was even married to a pirate once. Most of all, she knows everything about children. She can cure them of any ailment. Patsy hates baths. Hubert never puts anything away. Allen eats v-e-r-y slowly. Mrs Piggle-Wiggle has a treatment for all of them.

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."

I loved these books as a kid, but I think I might enjoy them even more as an adult now - because they're all about curing kids' behavioural problems! However, it's tackled in a way that, from what I remember, usually doesn't come across as preachy, perhaps because it contains a good dollop of humour. The problems run the gamut from "Thought-You-Said-itis" to heedless breakers and never-want-to-go-to-schoolers. While some of the solutions are too easy (giving the kids a magic pill or powder) there are some very ingenious cures as well.

Also, the name? Priceless.

Anyone out there remember this series?

14 comments:

  1. This series sounds like it would be really popular if it had more attention now! The covers are really cute and so is the name :D

    I saw Wind On my Back on the Sullivan website but I've never found out what its about it before. It sounds like something I'd love, thanks for telling me about it! I'm sure I'll be able to get hold of it somehow :)

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  2. I LOVED these books!! I read and reread these over and over! It makes me so happy to see them on your blog! :) I have such good memories of this series!

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  3. I was a huge fan of Mrs. Piggle Wiggle back in the day (I guess my age is showing!). Thanks for stopping by my blog, you have a really great blog yourself.

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  4. I sort of remember these books. I was more of an Amelia Bedelia fan, myself. :-) Sometimes I think too many of Amelia Bedelia's traits rubbed off on me! :p

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  5. I don't remember ever seeing these books but I'm going to see if our library has them (or maybe paperbackswap) cause they sound great!

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  6. These must have been after my time as a kid, but they look like fun.

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  7. Is it weird that I've never heard of these books? Haha they sound like so much fun though! :)

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  8. Great to hear from people with happy memories of these books, and glad to have introduced them to some others!

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  9. I remember these book. I used to get them from my elementary school and read them.

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  10. I love the sound of Mrs Piggle Wiggle - her smelling of cookies sounds wonderful.

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  11. I don't remember these books, but I'm inviting you for a game of tag :) If you want to play, check out http://between-thepages.blogspot.com/2010/10/game-of-tag.html

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  12. What a GREAT feature!
    I'm loving your blog so much I gave you an award! Check it out at www.benterudbookshelf.blogspot.com

    Pris!

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  13. wow...I've never heard of those books when i was little. LOL you can't get me near a book back then- i hated reading...but look @ me now :D

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  14. Great idea! I LOVE Mrs. Piggle Wiggle...both to recommend and from when I was a kid. I can still close my eyes are remember where the books were located on the school library shelves.

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