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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and all of her crazy cures. I think my favorites were the boy who had no manners and the girl who wouldn't take a bath. I can't wait to buy them and read them all to my kids when they come along!
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For such a short children’s book, it sure was a slog.
The book starts strong with Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle being introduced as a quirky lady whose house is upside down and who loves children. But she’s never more than a voice on a phone call through the rest of the book. Every chapter uses the same structure 1. A kid is bad. 2. The mother frets and calls her neighbors before someone finally suggest calling Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. 3. Mrs PW suggest her “cure” (let the consequences of their actions catch up to them). 4. Kid decides to do better
It’s very tedious. The phone call section is a very long part of the stories and never interesting. Since neighbors have funny names, but that’s the only entertaining part.
I had expected Mrs. PW to be a pippi longstocking/Mary Poppins/Willy Wonka type character who is fun and eccentric and maybe just a little bit magical. Instead she’s just a lady who gives advice over the phone in 2-3 paragraphs then exits the story.
The book would have been much more fun if the “cures” happened at Mrs PW’s house. She could have been the central character doling out lessons without the kids realizing what she was doing. Instead it’s a string of mom’s who aren’t really distinguishable. And the moms, not the children or Mrs PW, are the POV characters.
Hard to say if I would have liked this more if I were a kid, but I don’t think so because I still would have wanted more fun or magic in the cures instead of a worried mom being the central character of each chapter.
Gentle parenting in the 1940s, I like it. And I know it's supposed to be funny and satirical but the portrayal of the fathers in every single chapter is just depressing.
I used to love these books as a child, but they have not aged well. Disappointing.
After hearing Ann M. Martin saying she was working on a reboot of the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books by Betty MacDonald, I knew we had the first book on our shelves and I wanted to read it with my daughter. I love the idea of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, this middle aged, unmarried woman who has never had kids, but has spent so much time with them she knows exactly how to cure all of the annoying behaviors kids take on. I loved each chapter as a mom called Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle to find out the cure to kids not eating or refusing to take a bath or fighting bedtime or not picking up. Her cures were quite amusing and effective. The downside of the book is it is obvious it is from a completely different era and the gender roles are fairly dated. Still overall a fun read and I look forward to Martin's take on them.
A clever children’s book that seems more aimed at the parents’ enjoyment
My first grader and I read this out loud. He loved it and it was completely age appropriate. I loved it remembering reading the books as a kid. Super fun!
Re-read aloud to my kids (9 & 6) in 2020. I died laughing every time a mom called another mom for advice, bc of the hilarious names of the children.
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle helps parents lovingly and playfully teach disobedient children the consequences of their actions. The series just wasn't as good aften MacDonald gave her magic in the second book.
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle helps parents lovingly and playfully teach disobedient children the consequences of their actions. The series just wasn't as good aften MacDonald gave her magic in the second book.