Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic (Hardcover)

~ Betty Macdonald (Author), Alexandra Boiger (Illustrator) "of course the reason that all the children in our town like Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is becuase Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle likes them..." (more)
Key Phrases: secret cupboard, lucky piece, laundry man, Miss Robinson, Molly O'Toole, Dick Thompson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

It's impossible to upset Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. Whatever happens, she takes it in stride, and usually laughs about it, too. If you give her a gift, she will treasure it. If you break something, she'll show you how to fix it. If you tell her what you dreamed last night, she'll listen -- and even help you tell the parts you forget.

She knows what to do about things that drive most grown-ups crazy. When Mrs. Burbank is in despair because her children have become Thought-You-Saiders, or Mrs. Hamilton losed her patience with two Talltetales, or Mrs. Rogers' sanity and crockery are threatened as sharon turns into a Heedless Breaker, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle calmly produces a pill or a potion or a powder that takes care of the problem. (And all of her medicines taste delicious!)

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's helpful, hilarious magic is irresistible -- and as funny as it is effective.

About the Author

When Betty MacDonald married and moved to a small farm on the Olympic Peninsula in the State of Washington, she was largely unprepared for the rigors of life in the wild. No running water, no electricity, a house in need of constant repair, and days that ran from four in the morning to nine at night, with barely a moment to put one's feet up. And this was before the children arrived. But the MacDonalds managed to keep their sense of humor, and this account of their adventures with the house and with neighbors is an endearing frontier classic.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (January 1, 1957)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039731714X
• ISBN-13: 978-0397317141
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #283,334 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All time family favorite!, October 17, 2001

By	L. C. Stuker (Northern VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic (Paperback)

Have I read these books to *MY* son? YOU BET!

My two elder sisters, younger brother and I grew up on Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's Magic - the edition that HAD belonged to our uncle!

The "ills" the children have are the same the world over. The lessons are clear, and taught gently - Be careful what you wish for, it might come true! Slow down, watch what you're doing. Do not interrupt. There are certain behaviors expected in public. And so on.

My mother would "threaten" us during the school year - "Oh dear. I'd better get out Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's Tattle Tale Cure." she would say, distressed. Or "Now where did I put that 'Never Want To Go To Schooler's Cure'?" We would laugh, the message clear.

My family has turned out just fine, in spite of the "negative message" some claim it contains - we four siblings now are now a doctor, an architect, a softward engineer, and a systems analyst. The uncle from whom we inherited the book has just retired as a surgeon. The book has long disintegrated from being overly loved. I was ecstatic to find it had been re-published!

To those who "don't get it", I'm sorry your life is do devoid of a sense of humor. I'd recommend you also avoid such sinister authors as Maurice Sendak, Robert McCloskey, Lewis Carroll....

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's Magic, December 10, 1999

By	Twila A. Eisley "[e-mail]" (Arlington, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic (Paperback)

I read this book as a child..and never knew there were more books about Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle until I was quite grown up! This one remains my favorite, however. The pages of my copy are quite worn where I turned the pages ...and read and re-read the stories. Yes, times have changed and much is different today from the 50's but Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's delightful acceptance of children with all their foibles is still an inspiration to all parents --and a reminder to me as a mom to lighten up and laugh with my kids and their antics. Betty MacDonald is very clever in bringing childish faults to light by way of terribly funny situations and even more preposterous cures. I LOVE THIS BOOK! and so do my girls.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic, April 12, 2000

By	Jamie Hughes (Silver Creek, New York) - See all my reviews

I have just finshed reading Mrs. Piggle - Wiggle's Magic by Betty MacDonald. In this book Mrs.Piggle-Wiggle tells storys about cures that she made, such as the tattletale cure or the thought-you-saiders cure and many more. I like this book because it has all different kinds of little stories in it. Mrs.Piggle-Wiggle seems like a very nice lady but when she gets poor, she asks all the kids that she knows to help her look for money and gold that is hidden in her house. I gave this book five stars because it was very interesting and a little funny.