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Mrs. Piggle Wiggle #3
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm
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. ‘[Now] in paperback . . . for a new generation of children to enjoy.’ —San Francisco Examiner Chronicle.
136 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1954
30 people are currently reading
1898 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 261 reviews
May 28, 2012
This past weekend, my husband and I had a major household project. For the past twenty-plus years, we'd slept on a mattress placed on a wooden platform which the previous owners of our home had constructed in our bedroom. We'd not had the inclination before to dismantle it, but when our mattress began causing my back too much pain, we decided to buy a real bed and take the platform down on Memorial Day weekend. So we did.
Part of the platform was a wooden shelf right behind the bed, where we'd put books and a table lamp and papers and things. Unfortunately, there was a crack between the shelf and the wall, and sometimes things would fall down inside there. We actually bore a hole in there to retrieve them, but sometimes we couldn't be bothered. There is a point to all this; bear with me.
So when we took the shelf down, we were greeted with a half inch of dust and some papers and things which we'd forgotten about. Among everything was the local library copy of MRS. PIGGLE-WIGGLE'S FARM, which I'd taken out in December of 1992. Now I remember paying the fine for a lost book, but not actually losing it.
Confession: I wish I could say I got this out for my daughter, but she was eleven months old at the time. It was for ME! Yes, I still read children's books! And enjoy them!
Actually, this was one I'd not read as a child. It was entertaining. I love the way MacDonald describes adults: as rather clueless, misguided morons. The kids, even when they're being broken of horrible habits, are the heroes. Of course, there's Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, but she seems as if she never completely grew up herself. That's the appeal of the stories.
Not the best of the series, but entertaining, and much better than the effort from 2007, which is best ignored.
Oh, and we love the new bed, too.
Part of the platform was a wooden shelf right behind the bed, where we'd put books and a table lamp and papers and things. Unfortunately, there was a crack between the shelf and the wall, and sometimes things would fall down inside there. We actually bore a hole in there to retrieve them, but sometimes we couldn't be bothered. There is a point to all this; bear with me.
So when we took the shelf down, we were greeted with a half inch of dust and some papers and things which we'd forgotten about. Among everything was the local library copy of MRS. PIGGLE-WIGGLE'S FARM, which I'd taken out in December of 1992. Now I remember paying the fine for a lost book, but not actually losing it.
Confession: I wish I could say I got this out for my daughter, but she was eleven months old at the time. It was for ME! Yes, I still read children's books! And enjoy them!
Actually, this was one I'd not read as a child. It was entertaining. I love the way MacDonald describes adults: as rather clueless, misguided morons. The kids, even when they're being broken of horrible habits, are the heroes. Of course, there's Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, but she seems as if she never completely grew up herself. That's the appeal of the stories.
Not the best of the series, but entertaining, and much better than the effort from 2007, which is best ignored.
Oh, and we love the new bed, too.
May 10, 2010
Oh what a broad range of reaction is to be found in a three star review. A casual observer might think that I liked the first three Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books equally. How wrong that observer would be. The first one was squarely in the middle of the spectrum. Truly, I "liked it", no more no less. The second one was a high three. I quite enjoyed reading it aloud, but as it isn't something I would ever pick up and reread to myself for pleasure, it couldn't quite make the leap across the 4-star divide. This one, sadly, is a low three. Only the fact that my son was still as enthusiastic as ever about the series during the course of the book has saved it from the ignominy of a two.
As a few other reviewers have noted, this book, while as long as the others, only has five chapters whereas the others have eight, suggesting that Betty MacDonald was running out of ideas and stretching those that she had thin, and adding lots of padding. In the first chapter, about Mrs. Harroway and her story-telling son, the book opens with ten pages of Mrs. Harroway gardening, being excited and nervous about an invitation to join an exclusive ladies club, and then going to her first luncheon with the club all got out in her pink gloves, only to have the lunch turn into a social disaster. My son got restless. So did I.
Also, in this book, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has moved out into the country and is living on a farm. This means that in every case, the cure consists simply of sending each child to live with her, for as long as a month. Although there is a certain charm to Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's barn yard menagerie, this made the book even more repetitive than its predecessors. The wholesome chores and matter of fact country living work wonders on neurotic children, à la Understood Betsy. I hope that in the next book she is back in her upside down house.
As a few other reviewers have noted, this book, while as long as the others, only has five chapters whereas the others have eight, suggesting that Betty MacDonald was running out of ideas and stretching those that she had thin, and adding lots of padding. In the first chapter, about Mrs. Harroway and her story-telling son, the book opens with ten pages of Mrs. Harroway gardening, being excited and nervous about an invitation to join an exclusive ladies club, and then going to her first luncheon with the club all got out in her pink gloves, only to have the lunch turn into a social disaster. My son got restless. So did I.
Also, in this book, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has moved out into the country and is living on a farm. This means that in every case, the cure consists simply of sending each child to live with her, for as long as a month. Although there is a certain charm to Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's barn yard menagerie, this made the book even more repetitive than its predecessors. The wholesome chores and matter of fact country living work wonders on neurotic children, à la Understood Betsy. I hope that in the next book she is back in her upside down house.
July 30, 2018
Betty MacDonald. That's all I have to say.
July 16, 2021
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is fun for all ages and one of my favorite books. I loved Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle when I was little and I love how excited my siblings get when we read it together.
July 12, 2021
I'm glad my Aunt got this book for me.
April 2, 2021
This is the story with Fetlock that I was looking for. My dad read this story to me over 45 years ago and did a funny voice for Fetlock that we did for years after because it was funny and amused us. I must read this story to him soon.
Basically these are moral stories about not lying, feeding your animals and not forgetting them, etc. A bit dated but expected. Women are now viewed a bit more as being people than just wives and mothers these days but it's still not ubiquitous that we are more than helpmates.
Basically these are moral stories about not lying, feeding your animals and not forgetting them, etc. A bit dated but expected. Women are now viewed a bit more as being people than just wives and mothers these days but it's still not ubiquitous that we are more than helpmates.
May 24, 2016
I have heard of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle , but we'd never read any of the books in this series before. When I saw this audio CD, I thought it might be a good one to listen to, even though I was pretty sure it was not the first book in the series.
As I started to post my review here, I see that it's the third book in the series, but we had no difficulties understanding the context of the story and we enjoyed listening to the different stories about the hard-to-manage children.
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle approaches each child with just the right attitude and puts them to work in such a way that they are able to overcome fears or break out of bad habits. The confidence they gain on her farm goes a long way toward making them more responsible and mature.
Overall, it's a fun collection of short stories/chapters and we enjoyed listening to Karen White narrate the book during our long drive. I suppose, though, that I should read the first book in the series so I can more fully appreciate Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's eccentricity.
As I started to post my review here, I see that it's the third book in the series, but we had no difficulties understanding the context of the story and we enjoyed listening to the different stories about the hard-to-manage children.
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle approaches each child with just the right attitude and puts them to work in such a way that they are able to overcome fears or break out of bad habits. The confidence they gain on her farm goes a long way toward making them more responsible and mature.
Overall, it's a fun collection of short stories/chapters and we enjoyed listening to Karen White narrate the book during our long drive. I suppose, though, that I should read the first book in the series so I can more fully appreciate Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's eccentricity.
December 30, 2017
I sat down and read all four Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books in one fell 2 day or so swoop. Take aways: 1. All the children in Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle grew up to be hippies, went to Vietnam, danced disco, got rich in the 1980s, went through tech bubbles and real estate booms, and now are retiring en mass. 2. Hilary Knight and Maurice Sendak are equally good illustrators, and their envisioning of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle herself are totally different, but both versions smell like gingerbread and are very huggable. 3. There were no children of color in any of the Piggle-Wiggle books, which bothered me now, and did not bother me when I was 8. 4. Betty MacDonald must have a shit ton of fun coming up with all of these names; some are pure baby boomer (Molly, Susan, Linda, Dick) and some are just delightful (Fetlock, Percy Penzil, Morton Heatherwick).
May 22, 2018
I really enjoyed this more than Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle’s magic. The cures were creative and I loved the farm life in it. We get to know Mrs Piggle-Wiggle more in this book which I also love. I’m excited for Hello, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle! I would recommend to people who are looking for books to read aloud.
March 17, 2020
We likes Mrs. Piggle Wiggles Farm much better then Mrs. Piggle Wiggles Magic. My girls are excited to go on to the next book and I love that it allows for discussions about some of their negative behaviors without making it just about them and having them feel bad! we Love Mrs. Piggle Wiggle!
July 24, 2019
This was for a challenge to read a book from my childhood. A cleverly disguised series meant to educate adults on the finer points of parenting.
March 9, 2020
My kids just love this series. It's clean & engaging, yet humourous for adults as well.
August 8, 2021
This may be my favorite Mrs. P book. I just love how the farm cures kids.
June 19, 2023
My grandson and I thoroughly enjoyed this little novel, It was good clean fun.
January 12, 2025
So precious! My childhood bedtime stories are from this book and it's so special to reread it.
March 5, 2020
I recently read several stories with magical nannies coming to the rescue of families in need. I thought it would be fun to compare each of their pros and cons and see how they lined up ...
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle:
-Likable “nanny.”
-The children have some common bad habits and learn their lessons nicely (actually, these stories are pretty practical and applicable, so if you have kids who are slow eaters, don’t pick up their toys, etc. there’s some good, fun lessons here).
-The book is pretty funny.
-I loved the writing style and the illustrations were great!
-I was satisfied with the ending.
Nurse Matilda:
-Likable nanny.
-The children are naughtier in this book; doing things sometimes just for naughtiness’ sake (like throwing their porridge on the walls) but they always end up regretting their decisions and learning their lesson (I think the author was trying to be a little tongue-in-cheek with the kid’s actions).
-The book is really funny.
-I loved the writing style and the illustrations were great!
-The first book has a satisfying ending (books #2 and #3 are essentially repeats, but with different circumstances, so I would have rather liked to see the author use a different family to show that the children really had changed and weren’t back to their old antics again – still fun reads though).
Mary Poppins:
-I did not like the nanny (watch the movie instead, if you want to like Mary Poppins; Julie Andrews did a great job enhancing and making the character likable).
-There’s actually FOUR children and they all need some help with their behaviors and perspectives, but in the end, they learn too. (There’s one chapter in the book, Bad Tuesday, they I don’t recommend reading to your kids).
-I don’t remember thinking it was all that funny.
-I loved the writing style and the illustrations were great!
-I was not satisfied with the ending (Mary Poppins leaves, and rather than the family coming together (like in the movie), the mother calls for the cook to put the children to bed so she can be off to her dinner party).
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle:
-Likable “nanny.”
-The children have some common bad habits and learn their lessons nicely (actually, these stories are pretty practical and applicable, so if you have kids who are slow eaters, don’t pick up their toys, etc. there’s some good, fun lessons here).
-The book is pretty funny.
-I loved the writing style and the illustrations were great!
-I was satisfied with the ending.
Nurse Matilda:
-Likable nanny.
-The children are naughtier in this book; doing things sometimes just for naughtiness’ sake (like throwing their porridge on the walls) but they always end up regretting their decisions and learning their lesson (I think the author was trying to be a little tongue-in-cheek with the kid’s actions).
-The book is really funny.
-I loved the writing style and the illustrations were great!
-The first book has a satisfying ending (books #2 and #3 are essentially repeats, but with different circumstances, so I would have rather liked to see the author use a different family to show that the children really had changed and weren’t back to their old antics again – still fun reads though).
Mary Poppins:
-I did not like the nanny (watch the movie instead, if you want to like Mary Poppins; Julie Andrews did a great job enhancing and making the character likable).
-There’s actually FOUR children and they all need some help with their behaviors and perspectives, but in the end, they learn too. (There’s one chapter in the book, Bad Tuesday, they I don’t recommend reading to your kids).
-I don’t remember thinking it was all that funny.
-I loved the writing style and the illustrations were great!
-I was not satisfied with the ending (Mary Poppins leaves, and rather than the family coming together (like in the movie), the mother calls for the cook to put the children to bed so she can be off to her dinner party).
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
December 5, 2021
My reading of the third book in Betty MacDonald’s Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series was the triumph of hope over experience. While better than Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic, which depends on silly magical potions, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle’s Farm is hardly funny at all. I will give it an extra star for its opposition to corporal punishment and its advocacy of natural consequences for misbehavior. But it’s not half as good as the original Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, and she’s even left her wonderful upside-down house for this farm! Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. I won’t be back for No. 4.
December 12, 2022
This was my least favorite of the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books when I was a kid, and that is still accurate. It's not bad; it just doesn't feel like Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. I wanted the upside down house and buried treasure and radish seeds planted on kids' bodies, not on an actual farm. Still fun, but I hope the next one gets her back to magic cures and funny remedies.
December 31, 2022
major slay to end off the year
i used to love these books when i was little
i used to love these books when i was little
September 5, 2023
The last chapter was weird. Totally different writing style than any other book.
The other books were funny, but the method sends some wrong signals
The other books were funny, but the method sends some wrong signals
October 23, 2025
I loved reading these growing up. My kids have enjoyed me reading this one aloud. But there seems to be something missing in this volume. I think the author spent too much time on the parents' issues instead of the resolutions.
December 3, 2022
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle’s Farm
No longer in the upside-down house on Vine Street, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle now lives on a farm with all the rest of her animals. She’s soon about to have a few visitors, as more mothers are having a difficult time curing their children of their bad habits.
My Thoughts:
For a minute I shy’ ed away from reading this one because I thought there might be an illustration of a certain animal in it that I don’t like to look at. There was mention of it but thankfully no pictures. This one wasn’t as fun as the others because the cures were just teaching the kid’s about responsibility from working with the animals. I guess I wasn’t the only one shy’ ing away from something. I’m not saying this is what happened, but what it felt like was this series came under fire with all it’s “magic” (cause we all know how angsty some people get about magic and witches) so they (she) dulled this one down. But like I said that’s just how it felt. I still think it was a good method in itself was good just not as interesting to read about. I just didn’t see how just simply working on a farm would help a kid’s inability, to tell the truth. This one also didn’t have that many stories. Which was good because the stories themselves felt long. I actually think I may have the “can’t find it” it is.
Rating: 5 Not as imaginative as the others.
No longer in the upside-down house on Vine Street, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle now lives on a farm with all the rest of her animals. She’s soon about to have a few visitors, as more mothers are having a difficult time curing their children of their bad habits.
My Thoughts:
For a minute I shy’ ed away from reading this one because I thought there might be an illustration of a certain animal in it that I don’t like to look at. There was mention of it but thankfully no pictures. This one wasn’t as fun as the others because the cures were just teaching the kid’s about responsibility from working with the animals. I guess I wasn’t the only one shy’ ing away from something. I’m not saying this is what happened, but what it felt like was this series came under fire with all it’s “magic” (cause we all know how angsty some people get about magic and witches) so they (she) dulled this one down. But like I said that’s just how it felt. I still think it was a good method in itself was good just not as interesting to read about. I just didn’t see how just simply working on a farm would help a kid’s inability, to tell the truth. This one also didn’t have that many stories. Which was good because the stories themselves felt long. I actually think I may have the “can’t find it” it is.
Rating: 5 Not as imaginative as the others.
January 6, 2009
I didn't enjoy this one as much as the original "Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle," although my six-year-old seemed to like it well enough. What started off as a clever gimmick in the first book kind of gets old in the subsequent books. It doesn't help that MacDonald also lengthened the chapters in her subsequent books without really adding any substance -- you can tell she was just trying to stretch sparse ideas into enough material to make a book. In this one, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, the woman who knows everything about children and can cure all their bad habits (ie. forgetting to feed pets, taking stuff apart but not fixing it, etc.), moves from town to a farm, and the children she cures go to stay with her on her farm. Her cures all revolve around taking care of farm animals and the like.
January 13, 2012
These are not a joy for parents to read.
I cringe the entire time because each child's issue to correct seems taken directly from my parenting life or from that of one of my friends. It's the same reason I hate watching those nanny shows on TV. I get no pleasure from watching other people mess up their children and why would I want to watch someone else's children behaving badly?
Anyway, my children think the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books are delightful. They also like that she never gets mad, never yells, never thinks badly of the children who do wrong and is always happy to rear up a child in they way he should have gone if his parents hadn't gotten in the way first.
I cringe the entire time because each child's issue to correct seems taken directly from my parenting life or from that of one of my friends. It's the same reason I hate watching those nanny shows on TV. I get no pleasure from watching other people mess up their children and why would I want to watch someone else's children behaving badly?
Anyway, my children think the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books are delightful. They also like that she never gets mad, never yells, never thinks badly of the children who do wrong and is always happy to rear up a child in they way he should have gone if his parents hadn't gotten in the way first.
January 5, 2016
Actually my least favorite of the series. I've never read this one before, it's not in my Treasury omnibus, and the illustrations are by Maurice Sendak, which is not an improvement, frankly. I love the clever solutions that Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle always has for children's bad habits, but here the only cure seems to be . . . working on her farm. It's certainly fitting for the little girl who forgets to take care of her pets, but not as much for the others. Still, the kids were charmed and it's, well, it's Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. You have to love her!
December 5, 2020
Read to the kids over weekend breakfasts. I enjoyed it (and they did too) but I felt like it lacked the specific charm of the earlier books. It was nice to be on a farm but it seems strange that she's all by herself with children only coming over occasionally for their "cures". The stories in this book were fewer and longer and almost seemed accidental for the most part: where Mrs Piggle-Wiggle would have a child over to the farm and they would self-correct their problem. It just wasn't quite the same.
August 10, 2025
Read with our ears summer of ‘25
E - almost 8!
G - almost 6!
R - 4
H - 1
With more stories and adventures, the lovable Mrs Piggle-Wiggle captivates our whole family. Love the vocabulary my girls pickup by listening. By this third book, we finally looked it up and were intrigued to know the Piggle Wiggle books began in 1947! Having that as the context helped us with some of the questionable behaviors of the parents.
E - almost 8!
G - almost 6!
R - 4
H - 1
With more stories and adventures, the lovable Mrs Piggle-Wiggle captivates our whole family. Love the vocabulary my girls pickup by listening. By this third book, we finally looked it up and were intrigued to know the Piggle Wiggle books began in 1947! Having that as the context helped us with some of the questionable behaviors of the parents.
January 20, 2021
Brilliant kiddie-lit. I always recommend this to my nieces and nephews. I was totally enchanted with all of the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggles. Still am. The illustrations are fantastic too.
October 21, 2015
Of all the books I read as a child, this series stands out as the best!
June 22, 2021
Ah, finally! I was beginning to despair over how little my memories matched the reality of these books. THIS is the one I'd loved as a child, and it's clear why. So many of the images are still vivid, like the strawberries-and-periwinkles crushed in forgetful Morton's pocket, his lost frog Pal, and how Rebecca had to protect a bunch of ducklings from an owl because she'd neglected to put them away before dark.
The weird thing about MacDonald's writing is that none of the three Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books I've read thus far seem like they were written by the same person. This one's about five years after the last, published in 1954, but it feels as different from Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic as that book did from the first in the series. It's confusing. But it certainly means you don't need to own all of these books, even if you'd enjoyed one of them.
There are only five stories this time around, which gives MacDonald more space to develop the kids and their families - and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle and her animals - into distinct, interesting characters with real personalities. I remember these kids because there was enough space for me to care about them. None of them are bad, and while they do frustrating things, it's easy to understand why, and to see why Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's cures work.
There's no magic powder this time and no half-baked child psychology. She just lets troubled children live on her farm for a bit, taking care of her animals and learning some personal responsibility, and they slowly sort out their own problems. It's kinda hard to tell, really, whether Mrs. Piggle Wiggle is actively manipulating the situations to make certain things happen. She obviously locked Rebecca out of the house on purpose, in order to teach her how terrible it feels to be hungry and forgotten (which is...not necessarily the best method, but this is fictional, so it works). But did she pretend to get her foot trapped under an apple barrel in the cellar in order to convince scaredy-cat Phoebe to be brave? Unclear.
The only fantastical element present in this book is the talking parrot Penelope, who had made prior appearances as a sour-voiced mimic who shamed kids into better manners. This time around, Penelope basically acts like a Doctor Dolittle character; she's as smart and well-spoken as Mrs. Piggle Wiggle and does as much to help them through their difficulties.
There's still some silliness and sexism and too much talk of spanking mixed into this book - 1950s housewives this time - but Phoebe's dad was actually a pretty good egg, and the families mostly seemed to like each other. And I'd always loved the descriptions of farm life and all the animals the kids got to take care of.
I'm relieved that this one finally lived up to how fondly I'd felt about these books...well, I guess this book when I was young. I'd always wished the rest of her books had been set on the farm instead of her boring upside-down house, and I suppose this is why.
Initially, I was a little disappointed that there was a different illustrator, but Maurice Sendak did a wonderful job adding little bits of funny personality to each story. They definitely add to the experience and round out the book.
The weird thing about MacDonald's writing is that none of the three Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books I've read thus far seem like they were written by the same person. This one's about five years after the last, published in 1954, but it feels as different from Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic as that book did from the first in the series. It's confusing. But it certainly means you don't need to own all of these books, even if you'd enjoyed one of them.
There are only five stories this time around, which gives MacDonald more space to develop the kids and their families - and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle and her animals - into distinct, interesting characters with real personalities. I remember these kids because there was enough space for me to care about them. None of them are bad, and while they do frustrating things, it's easy to understand why, and to see why Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's cures work.
There's no magic powder this time and no half-baked child psychology. She just lets troubled children live on her farm for a bit, taking care of her animals and learning some personal responsibility, and they slowly sort out their own problems. It's kinda hard to tell, really, whether Mrs. Piggle Wiggle is actively manipulating the situations to make certain things happen. She obviously locked Rebecca out of the house on purpose, in order to teach her how terrible it feels to be hungry and forgotten (which is...not necessarily the best method, but this is fictional, so it works). But did she pretend to get her foot trapped under an apple barrel in the cellar in order to convince scaredy-cat Phoebe to be brave? Unclear.
The only fantastical element present in this book is the talking parrot Penelope, who had made prior appearances as a sour-voiced mimic who shamed kids into better manners. This time around, Penelope basically acts like a Doctor Dolittle character; she's as smart and well-spoken as Mrs. Piggle Wiggle and does as much to help them through their difficulties.
There's still some silliness and sexism and too much talk of spanking mixed into this book - 1950s housewives this time - but Phoebe's dad was actually a pretty good egg, and the families mostly seemed to like each other. And I'd always loved the descriptions of farm life and all the animals the kids got to take care of.
I'm relieved that this one finally lived up to how fondly I'd felt about these books...well, I guess this book when I was young. I'd always wished the rest of her books had been set on the farm instead of her boring upside-down house, and I suppose this is why.
Initially, I was a little disappointed that there was a different illustrator, but Maurice Sendak did a wonderful job adding little bits of funny personality to each story. They definitely add to the experience and round out the book.
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