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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
I LOVED this series as a kid, I remember being read them by a teacher in elementary school. After finding the books at Barnes & Noble, I could not pass them up.
I'm rereading these for the first time in a LONG time. The treasury (which I had as a kid and I'm reading from now) was one of my favorite books. I wanted to reread the classic ones before reading Ann M. Martin's Missy Piggle-Wiggle books.
The cures are as clever as I remember. I love when the mom of the afflicted kid calls other mothers who have ridiculous names to get advice. My favorite chapter in this one is the slow eater tiny bite taker. There's casual spanking as punishment that I didn't remember being there (it never works as a "cure" though - maybe that's commentary?)
The cures are as clever as I remember. I love when the mom of the afflicted kid calls other mothers who have ridiculous names to get advice. My favorite chapter in this one is the slow eater tiny bite taker. There's casual spanking as punishment that I didn't remember being there (it never works as a "cure" though - maybe that's commentary?)
This was my son's and my first “assigned” read-aloud of our first grade (recommended by the homeschool curriculum we are using this year). We’ve read from this series in the past and were both excited to share this first book that started it all. Written in 1947, the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books tell the story of a magical woman who lives in an upside-down house (that’s Charleston’s favorite part) and offers cures and solutions to all of the neighborhood children’s poor habits and behavioral ailments. She helps children solve problems of staying up too late, eating too slowly, refusing to bathe, and more. The stories are delightfully sill, marked with humor as well as quite a few notable lessons on responsibility, etiquette, and good character.
Charleston and I giggled at the outlandish names, made predictions as to how each problem might be solved, and drew parallels to his own behavior. With its extensive vocabulary and window into a distinctly different time (with its differing technology, standards, and familial roles), this offered a superb reading and learning experience.
Charleston and I giggled at the outlandish names, made predictions as to how each problem might be solved, and drew parallels to his own behavior. With its extensive vocabulary and window into a distinctly different time (with its differing technology, standards, and familial roles), this offered a superb reading and learning experience.
I will note that aspects of the story are pretty dated. In addition to some terminology and attitudes that are no longer appropriate, as well as gender stereotypes that haven’t aged well, aspects of the story are problematic in view of what we know today about child psychology and development. While I found the lighthearted approach to solving problems refreshing compared with today’s tendency to pathologize and overthink our children’s behavior and our responses/discipline, there are a few chapters that I feel are a little too quick to ignore the deeper psychological problems involved. For instance, the chapter on a boy who eats too slowly makes light of what is clearly an eating disorder, offering a simple solution to an issue that is far from simple. I recognize we don’t need to take ourselves quite so seriously with these sorts of things, especially when they appear in books for children, but it is worth noting and discussing with young readers. I found it helpful to talk with Charleston about how and why these cures work and also mention how some kids can’t simply “get over” their problems like they do in these stories. . . and that’s okay.
Despite these small concerns, I just love this story and am so happy Charleston does too.
My Rating: 4 Stars.
This review first appeared on my personal blog:
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I loved Mrs Piggle Wiggle as a child. It was fun to reread it, but it’s dated. I still can’t get over the brothers and sister who don’t want to go to bed so they are allowed to stay up all night and roam the streets if they choose. Oh the good old days.
This has been our read-aloud to the kids and it has been a big hit. They loved it. It was really fun to read too. Mrs. Piggy-Wiggle as I called her for over half of the book, until I realized it was Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle!
There was a trend in children's literature in the early and mid-20th century for books about quasi-magical people who were courageous and clever and seemed to know everything about everything. It's the model that gave us Doctor Doolittle, Pippi Longstocking, and Mary Poppins, and when it works, it can produce the framework for memorable, enchanting stories.
When it doesn't work, it gives us Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle lives in an upside-down house, and is a great friend of children. Each of the chapters in the book are about the parents of a child with a particular problem behavior. The parents call Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle for help, and she prescribes some type of "cure" for it.
That sounds sort of preachy and tiresome, but it's actually worse than that, because each of the "cures" is pretty awful. They range from the frustrating ("The Answer-Backer Cure," with its loathsome parrot) to the cruel ("The Selfishness Cure" is basically an incitement for bullying) to the OMG THAT'S ACTUAL CHILD ABUSE ("The Slow-Eater-Tiny-Bite-Taker Cure" literally features Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle trying to stifle laughter at the sight of an emaciated child, who's been given progressively smaller and smaller meals for days, struggling to stay on the back of a horse). I recognize the book is trying to be whimsical, but it comes across as Goofus and Gallant Go To Hell, crossed with the meaner episodes of Punk'd.
I'm not sure why this one has found an audience -- it's still in print, and here on this page, its average rating is well north of four stars. But to me, it was deeply unpleasant, the kind of thing I only finished because a) it was short, and b) I wanted to see just how much of a train wreck it would become. Not Recommended.
When it doesn't work, it gives us Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle lives in an upside-down house, and is a great friend of children. Each of the chapters in the book are about the parents of a child with a particular problem behavior. The parents call Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle for help, and she prescribes some type of "cure" for it.
That sounds sort of preachy and tiresome, but it's actually worse than that, because each of the "cures" is pretty awful. They range from the frustrating ("The Answer-Backer Cure," with its loathsome parrot) to the cruel ("The Selfishness Cure" is basically an incitement for bullying) to the OMG THAT'S ACTUAL CHILD ABUSE ("The Slow-Eater-Tiny-Bite-Taker Cure" literally features Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle trying to stifle laughter at the sight of an emaciated child, who's been given progressively smaller and smaller meals for days, struggling to stay on the back of a horse). I recognize the book is trying to be whimsical, but it comes across as Goofus and Gallant Go To Hell, crossed with the meaner episodes of Punk'd.
I'm not sure why this one has found an audience -- it's still in print, and here on this page, its average rating is well north of four stars. But to me, it was deeply unpleasant, the kind of thing I only finished because a) it was short, and b) I wanted to see just how much of a train wreck it would become. Not Recommended.