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Mrs. Piggle Wiggle #1-2, 4
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Treasury
Children love Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle for her upside-down house, her delicious cookies, and her ability to understand how they feel. Here in one volume is Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle; Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle; and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic. B&W illus. Ages 8-12
392 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1986
19 people are currently reading
344 people want to read
About the author
Betty MacDonald
60 books321 followersMacDonald was born Anne Elizabeth Campbell Bard in Boulder, Colorado. Her official birth date is given as March 26, 1908, although federal census returns seem to indicate 1907.
Her family moved to the north slope of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood in 1918, moving to the Laurelhurst neighborhood a year later and finally settling in the Roosevelt neighborhood in 1922, where she graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1924.
MacDonald married Robert Eugene Heskett (1895–1951) at age 20 in July 1927; they lived on a chicken farm in the Olympic Peninsula's Chimacum Valley, near Center and a few miles south of Port Townsend. She left Heskett in 1931 and returned to Seattle, where she worked at a variety of jobs to support their daughters Anne and Joan; after the divorce the ex-spouses had virtually no contact.
She spent nine months at Firland Sanatorium near Seattle in 1937–1938 for treatment of tuberculosis. On April 24, 1942 she married Donald C. MacDonald (1910–1975) and moved to Vashon Island, where she wrote most of her books. The MacDonalds moved to California's Carmel Valley in 1956.
MacDonald rose to fame when her first book, The Egg and I, was published in 1945. It was a bestseller and was translated into 20 languages. Based on her life on the Chimacum Valley chicken farm, the books introduced the characters Ma and Pa Kettle, who also were featured in the movie version of The Egg and I. The characters become so popular a series of nine more films were made featuring them. In the film of The Egg and I, made in 1947, MacDonald was played by Claudette Colbert. Her husband (simply called "Bob" in the book) was called "Bob MacDonald" in the film, as studio executives were keen not to raise the matter of MacDonald's divorce in the public consciousness. He was played by Fred MacMurray.
Although the book was a critical and popular success at publication, in the 1970s it was criticized for its stereotypical treatment of Native Americans. It had also been claimed that it "spawned a perception of Washington as a land of eccentric country bumpkins like Ma and Pa Kettle."
MacDonald's defenders point out that in the context of the 1940s such stereotyping was far more acceptable. MacDonald faced two lawsuits: by members of a family who claimed she had based the Kettles on them, and by a man who claimed he was the model for the Indian character Crowbar. One lawsuit was settled out of court, while the second went to trial in February 1951. The plaintiffs did not prevail, although the judge indicated he felt they had shown that some of the claims of defamation had merit.
MacDonald also published three other semi-autobiographical books: Anybody Can Do Anything, recounting her life in the Depression trying to find work; The Plague and I, describing her nine-month stay at the Firlands tuberculosis sanitarium; and Onions in the Stew, about her life on Vashon Island with her second husband and daughters during the war years. She also wrote the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series of children's books and another children's book, entitled Nancy and Plum. A posthumous collection of her writings, entitled Who Me?, was later released.[citation needed]
MacDonald died in Seattle of uterine cancer on February 7, 1958
Her family moved to the north slope of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood in 1918, moving to the Laurelhurst neighborhood a year later and finally settling in the Roosevelt neighborhood in 1922, where she graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1924.
MacDonald married Robert Eugene Heskett (1895–1951) at age 20 in July 1927; they lived on a chicken farm in the Olympic Peninsula's Chimacum Valley, near Center and a few miles south of Port Townsend. She left Heskett in 1931 and returned to Seattle, where she worked at a variety of jobs to support their daughters Anne and Joan; after the divorce the ex-spouses had virtually no contact.
She spent nine months at Firland Sanatorium near Seattle in 1937–1938 for treatment of tuberculosis. On April 24, 1942 she married Donald C. MacDonald (1910–1975) and moved to Vashon Island, where she wrote most of her books. The MacDonalds moved to California's Carmel Valley in 1956.
MacDonald rose to fame when her first book, The Egg and I, was published in 1945. It was a bestseller and was translated into 20 languages. Based on her life on the Chimacum Valley chicken farm, the books introduced the characters Ma and Pa Kettle, who also were featured in the movie version of The Egg and I. The characters become so popular a series of nine more films were made featuring them. In the film of The Egg and I, made in 1947, MacDonald was played by Claudette Colbert. Her husband (simply called "Bob" in the book) was called "Bob MacDonald" in the film, as studio executives were keen not to raise the matter of MacDonald's divorce in the public consciousness. He was played by Fred MacMurray.
Although the book was a critical and popular success at publication, in the 1970s it was criticized for its stereotypical treatment of Native Americans. It had also been claimed that it "spawned a perception of Washington as a land of eccentric country bumpkins like Ma and Pa Kettle."
MacDonald's defenders point out that in the context of the 1940s such stereotyping was far more acceptable. MacDonald faced two lawsuits: by members of a family who claimed she had based the Kettles on them, and by a man who claimed he was the model for the Indian character Crowbar. One lawsuit was settled out of court, while the second went to trial in February 1951. The plaintiffs did not prevail, although the judge indicated he felt they had shown that some of the claims of defamation had merit.
MacDonald also published three other semi-autobiographical books: Anybody Can Do Anything, recounting her life in the Depression trying to find work; The Plague and I, describing her nine-month stay at the Firlands tuberculosis sanitarium; and Onions in the Stew, about her life on Vashon Island with her second husband and daughters during the war years. She also wrote the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series of children's books and another children's book, entitled Nancy and Plum. A posthumous collection of her writings, entitled Who Me?, was later released.[citation needed]
MacDonald died in Seattle of uterine cancer on February 7, 1958
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
June 19, 2020
Perfectly hilarious and fun! Great for all ages, but especially children. Ahh, so many happy memories with this whimsical collection. :)
March 21, 2023
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle was such a childhood favorite — my third grade teacher read it aloud to an enraptured class — that when I found this three-volume treasury on a discount book table as a teenager, I begged my mother to buy it.
Now the same three-volume treasury is in my keeping, and I had the joy of introducing my own children to Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle over the past couple of months. Of particular delight was how enthusiastically my 8yo responded to the book; he doesn't typically show as much interest in the books we read as his younger siblings do, but he couldn't get enough of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. (He has repeatedly voiced disappointment that I refuse to turn around and reread the entire book immediately.)
Mingled with the delight of sharing the book, I also had the fun of returning to something beloved from childhood better able to understand why it was so captivating. The premise of the book is exceptionally clever and permits the author to write a didactic book that is anything but tedious and moralistic. At one and the same time, the stories are both subversive and affirming of virtue: we relish the spectacle of children's bad behavior, which is told humorously and realistically, and then, in some cases, the cure ramps up that bad behavior for even greater comic effect before resolving it. The young audience of these books are prompted to root for the right even as they are amused (perhaps morbidly fascinated) by the wrong.
What I appreciate most about the philosophy behind Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's cures is that they are much more than a bandaid for bad behavior. Each and every cure teaches the afflicted child to crave virtue, not merely because it leads to appropriate actions, but because it has been shown to be so desirable. Hence the cure for bad table manners involves an extremely polite pig who exhibits the attractions of etiquette; the cure for heedless breaking is a magic powder that causes one to move slowly and gracefully, "like a queen" (a pleasing sensation); the cure for children who don't want to go to bed is to find out how miserable they become without sleep. The mechanism of cures varies — which is what makes the collection fun to read — but all the cures involve a change of mind before change of action.
Another delight of returning to the books: the world of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is charming in an old-fashioned way that I didn't perceive as a child. It's a world where mothers phone friends to discuss their problems, kids rollerskate and play neighborhood games and attend movies on the weekend, adults play cards, fathers turn on radios or read newspapers and take their children to the drugstore for ice cream sodas. In the domestic realm, there is a lot of cooking and baking (after-school snacks to make your mouth water!), ironing, mending, sewing, gardening. Children are always popping over to Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's house; they often walk to school and each other's houses. On the one hand, these things are not very removed from our world; but the more I thought about it, I had to admit these aren't typical accessories to modern life, and the aura of antiquity gives the book a very cozy domestic feeling.
One note on rating: this volume contains the first, second, and fourth Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle installment, but for some reason their ordering is 1, 4, 2 (perhaps because the second volume sounds a note of finality). I found the middle book (published ten years after the first two) much less captivating than the earlier two, and even its morality somewhat troubling (is "leadership" the opposite of "bullying"? is enterprise a proper remedy for daydreaming...and should daydreaming be suppressed entirely?). Were I rating the first, and perhaps the second, volume alone, I'd give it 5 stars; the fourth would get 2 or 3.
Now the same three-volume treasury is in my keeping, and I had the joy of introducing my own children to Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle over the past couple of months. Of particular delight was how enthusiastically my 8yo responded to the book; he doesn't typically show as much interest in the books we read as his younger siblings do, but he couldn't get enough of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. (He has repeatedly voiced disappointment that I refuse to turn around and reread the entire book immediately.)
Mingled with the delight of sharing the book, I also had the fun of returning to something beloved from childhood better able to understand why it was so captivating. The premise of the book is exceptionally clever and permits the author to write a didactic book that is anything but tedious and moralistic. At one and the same time, the stories are both subversive and affirming of virtue: we relish the spectacle of children's bad behavior, which is told humorously and realistically, and then, in some cases, the cure ramps up that bad behavior for even greater comic effect before resolving it. The young audience of these books are prompted to root for the right even as they are amused (perhaps morbidly fascinated) by the wrong.
What I appreciate most about the philosophy behind Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's cures is that they are much more than a bandaid for bad behavior. Each and every cure teaches the afflicted child to crave virtue, not merely because it leads to appropriate actions, but because it has been shown to be so desirable. Hence the cure for bad table manners involves an extremely polite pig who exhibits the attractions of etiquette; the cure for heedless breaking is a magic powder that causes one to move slowly and gracefully, "like a queen" (a pleasing sensation); the cure for children who don't want to go to bed is to find out how miserable they become without sleep. The mechanism of cures varies — which is what makes the collection fun to read — but all the cures involve a change of mind before change of action.
Another delight of returning to the books: the world of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is charming in an old-fashioned way that I didn't perceive as a child. It's a world where mothers phone friends to discuss their problems, kids rollerskate and play neighborhood games and attend movies on the weekend, adults play cards, fathers turn on radios or read newspapers and take their children to the drugstore for ice cream sodas. In the domestic realm, there is a lot of cooking and baking (after-school snacks to make your mouth water!), ironing, mending, sewing, gardening. Children are always popping over to Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's house; they often walk to school and each other's houses. On the one hand, these things are not very removed from our world; but the more I thought about it, I had to admit these aren't typical accessories to modern life, and the aura of antiquity gives the book a very cozy domestic feeling.
One note on rating: this volume contains the first, second, and fourth Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle installment, but for some reason their ordering is 1, 4, 2 (perhaps because the second volume sounds a note of finality). I found the middle book (published ten years after the first two) much less captivating than the earlier two, and even its morality somewhat troubling (is "leadership" the opposite of "bullying"? is enterprise a proper remedy for daydreaming...and should daydreaming be suppressed entirely?). Were I rating the first, and perhaps the second, volume alone, I'd give it 5 stars; the fourth would get 2 or 3.
August 7, 2019
I'm reading chapters of this to Oliver and remembering how much I loved these books as a kid. Smart, funny, and kid friendly.
September 13, 2011
We are so crazy about this book. I remember loving it as a kid, and as a mom I love it EVEN MORE. I most especially love having Madeleine read it aloud to me while I drive.
Madeleine's favorite stories are the "Fighter-Quarreleritis Cure" (probably because she doesn't have siblings to actually fight and quarrel with) and the "Answer-Backer Cure."
We both love to turn down our mouths, squint our eyes, blink fiercely, and declare, "I'll do it because I want to, but not because you tell me to!" or "What am I, a servant?" Try it!
Some of the stories are just silly fun, and others have led us into thoughtful conversations about friendship and bullying and dawdling. Totally great.
Thanks to our friend Beth, who gave us this book!
Madeleine's favorite stories are the "Fighter-Quarreleritis Cure" (probably because she doesn't have siblings to actually fight and quarrel with) and the "Answer-Backer Cure."
We both love to turn down our mouths, squint our eyes, blink fiercely, and declare, "I'll do it because I want to, but not because you tell me to!" or "What am I, a servant?" Try it!
Some of the stories are just silly fun, and others have led us into thoughtful conversations about friendship and bullying and dawdling. Totally great.
Thanks to our friend Beth, who gave us this book!
August 4, 2025
Just finished this with my 3 year old and we both loved it! It was her first chapter book and she is already asking to re-read it. The chapters are stand alone and pretty short which made it perfect to read during lunch or on longer car rides. It made me super nostalgic for the way I grew up- in a neighborhood with lots of kids playing kickball, hide n seek, and kick the can, running from house to house looking to see who had the best snacks to offer😂
September 15, 2019
I loved it in spite of it being pretty dated/old fashioned it brings back wonderful memories of having it read to me by my grandma. My kids liked it but got a little antsy at times and definitely liked some of the stories more than others.
May 31, 2020
I haven't read this book in ages but I remember reading it and loving it so much as a kid so this rating is for little baby Rachael
November 7, 2024
It was slayful
July 6, 2017
First of all I am still trying to figure out why they skipped book three in the series since it really doesn't make any sense to me. Instead all of the books should have been included or they could have done a series treasury to also make sure all the books were still being used instead of leaving one out as it is very inconvenient.
Anyway this is one of those why did I re-read it again as an adult type of books. Although the reading was still pleasurable I did pick-up on a few things that I hadn't as a child. First of all it seems pretty weird that she didn't know any of the parents but yet all the parents were still okay with their children hanging out at hers until dark more or less. And yes I know this was way before all the stranger danger-types.
The other thing that had me a bit thrown off was the fact that she went from the first book using no magic to all of a sudden finding a magical supply to back her cures. This definitely did throw me off for the whole flop in the ways although mostly everything else plot-wise stayed the same.
All in all it was good to read it again but I want my third book....
Anyway this is one of those why did I re-read it again as an adult type of books. Although the reading was still pleasurable I did pick-up on a few things that I hadn't as a child. First of all it seems pretty weird that she didn't know any of the parents but yet all the parents were still okay with their children hanging out at hers until dark more or less. And yes I know this was way before all the stranger danger-types.
The other thing that had me a bit thrown off was the fact that she went from the first book using no magic to all of a sudden finding a magical supply to back her cures. This definitely did throw me off for the whole flop in the ways although mostly everything else plot-wise stayed the same.
All in all it was good to read it again but I want my third book....
February 15, 2010
Think Super Nanny meets Donna Reed with these classic children's stories. Mrs. Piggle Wiggle knows just what to do whenever naughty children suffer from horrible diseases such as tattletaleitis or slowpokeitis. With names like Armand Armadillo, Ermintrude Bags, Paraphernalia Grotto, my kids started laughing immediately. They would not however let me use funny voices but demanded that I read the stories "normal." Oh well. Here is one of my favorite passages:
"Well, " said her daddy, "your careless heedlessness has
almost lost me my life. I am now going to give you a
spanking." And he did so dinner was a snuffling red-eyed
meal filled with cold looks and long silences and the
cheese souffle, which was delicious."
Super funny with sweet (but with no sacchrine aftertaste) messages.
"Well, " said her daddy, "your careless heedlessness has
almost lost me my life. I am now going to give you a
spanking." And he did so dinner was a snuffling red-eyed
meal filled with cold looks and long silences and the
cheese souffle, which was delicious."
Super funny with sweet (but with no sacchrine aftertaste) messages.
December 9, 2017
My memory of these stories was better than the stories actually are. This was a favorite of mine when I was a child so I loved when I found and bought it to read to my kids. I read it several years ago to my older kiddo and we both enjoyed the silliness of it all. I read it a couple years ago to my younger son. While it was still fun and silly, I noticed much more of the dated ideas and wording of things that time around. Even my son pointed out that the other kids were bullying whichever child was being cured. He also asked me to change the name of "Dick" to "Rick" when reading to him. My younger son just recently asked me to read it to him again. He does like it, but it's losing a bit of its lovablity.
July 23, 2025
Absolutely hilarious and heartfelt! I enjoyed all the stories from this humorous treasury. Mrs. Piggle Wiggle has a cure for every child and their bad habits. Children and their parents will enjoy a good laugh over kids that won't pick up their toys, talk back to their teachers or refuse to take baths.
As a child, I felt that these kids got what they deserved for being selfish brats. Coming back to the stories as an adult made me think that the execution of these plots does not account for any other factors that might cause bad behavior in children.
Nonetheless, these stories will facilitate conversations between kids and their parents about good behavior, and it is sure to appeal to fans of Roald Dahl and his works (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in particular).
As a child, I felt that these kids got what they deserved for being selfish brats. Coming back to the stories as an adult made me think that the execution of these plots does not account for any other factors that might cause bad behavior in children.
Nonetheless, these stories will facilitate conversations between kids and their parents about good behavior, and it is sure to appeal to fans of Roald Dahl and his works (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in particular).
November 27, 2015
Now that I have been recovering from surgery I've been feeling a bit nostalgic so I took out some of my favorite childhood books. I loved reading Mrs. Piggle Wiggle as a child and I remember constantly checking her out from my school library, so much so that the check-out card was filled front and back with only my name.
I thought her to be so kind and clever, and loving to all the neighborhood children. I wanted to live in her neighborhood too just so I could experience her magic. Even to this day I tell stories to my little girl about mothers who go to Mrs. Piggle Wiggle for advice when they need help with their children.
I thought her to be so kind and clever, and loving to all the neighborhood children. I wanted to live in her neighborhood too just so I could experience her magic. Even to this day I tell stories to my little girl about mothers who go to Mrs. Piggle Wiggle for advice when they need help with their children.
October 5, 2017
3 stars if you don't mind reveling in really WHITE American culture from the 50s. Read out loud to my 7 year old and he laughed quite a few times. That's gotta count for something.
June 2, 2025
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Mrs. Coverlet (the babysitter who ended up living with 3 kids whose parents had sort of disappeared) crossed the lines in children's literature between the people you WISHED your parents knew/were and the people you were so glad they didn't know/weren't. When I found this in the Used Book Shop, it was such a relic of my youth that I had to get it. And now...hmmm. Maybe I'll take it back, although there are some elements--the pig with excellent table manners, the parents who take on the roles of the quarrelling daughters--that have stood the test of time. But other elements, like the gendered roles of the parents, simply haven't. I'll need to dig up some other "children's classics" to see where they've ended up.
August 28, 2020
There are four Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books and this treasury only has three, for some reason. S got this from my grandmother's house the last time we visited and it's nice to have it in our collection now. I have read a lot of the stories aloud to him and L, but S also reads chapters independently and says he really likes them a lot. He keeps telling me he wants to live in Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's time, probably because there are a whole lot of moms in the book giving their kids cookies and hot cocoa when they come home from school. Ha!
A lot of this book is quite dated, especially when it comes to gender roles, but there isn't anything so terrible that I think it should be skipped entirely.
A lot of this book is quite dated, especially when it comes to gender roles, but there isn't anything so terrible that I think it should be skipped entirely.
April 19, 2022
A fascinating glimpse into the 1940s via a collection of children's books written by Betty MacDonald. So many cookies baked for children who walk home from school in idyllic neighborhoods, so many phone calls made among mothers recommending Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's hilarious cures for whatever pain-in-the-ass, behavioral ailment their children are suffering from at the moment, so many dads delivering the spankings after working all day. There's treehouses, games families played together, sweet pets, social occasions where manners matter.
We've regressed, people.
We've regressed, people.
May 8, 2025
The first book is 5-stars, funny stories of natural consequences parenting. the 2nd and 3rd completely shift in tone: parents seem more selfishly motivated and annoyed by their children and Mrs piggle wiggle changes from dispensing funny advice to literal magic pills, which completely ruins the moral component of the childrens growth and makes the story a lot less interesting to me...though my kids enjoyed them all equally!
April 13, 2018
We read this one aloud at bedtime, averaging about one chapter a night. (That was nice, because each chapter is one complete story. ) I was pleasantly surprised at how well the stories held up, and how there wasn't anything overtly troubling even though they were writte, so long ago. My kids loved them.
August 27, 2019
I first read one of the Missy Piggle-Wiggle books and loved it. The Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books are just not as good with the story building and although its a quick easy read, its just sorta boring and skimming ends up happening. I will go back to the Missy Piggle-Wiggle and finish reading those instead.
July 2, 2020
This book is about a lady named Mrs Piggle Wiggle who helps moms cure their kids of bad behavior.I liked the Mrs Piggle wiggle book because it had three other Mrs Piggle wiggle stories inside of it. I liked "Mrs Piggle Wiggles Magic" best of all. Mrs Piggle wiggle book was okay but too long. I will recommend it to any six or seven year old girl.
April 30, 2020
I loved these books as a kid, and my six year old has LOVED hearing them. There are parts that are pretty dated (lots of talk of spanking children) but the stories are hilarious and tongue-in-cheek and remain entertaining and just enchanting.
February 24, 2021
Great beloved classic books, decently great for children of all ages. All of the separate books really tie into how to be a good human to others. There are original pictures in each chapter of the book, makes for a great read for all ages.
September 12, 2023
The first book had me absolutely captivated. However, I would not read these in a row as it is always the same general ingredients: bratty kids, sad parents, Mrs. Piggle-wiggle's crazy cure. I think they would make for great bedtime story reading though, and I still would read these again!
June 26, 2018
Very funny and a good book to read if you need a laugh. (And you are of the youner division of human being/cyberspace)
May 16, 2019
Favorite story compilations from my childhood, that even my children enjoyed.
November 24, 2019
These are books of my childhood. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is unforgettable! Highly recommended series for young readers.
March 26, 2020
One of my favorite books ever. Funny and creative with a careful eye of someone who really observes children. I may be trying the radish cure on my girl one of these days
December 18, 2020
Read aloud with my 8yo. She at the perfect age: facing some of these problems that come with childhood and at the age to believe in magic. Highly recommend.
January 20, 2022
Great fun read aloud with the kids.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews