leaflibrary 's review for:

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty MacDonald, Hilary Knight

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I loved this book when I was a kid! Mrs Piggle-Wiggle herself is Mary Poppins meets Pippi Longstocking. She lives in an upside-down house overrun with pets, married a pirate, and leads neighborhood children on fantastic adventures. Her real skill, however, lies in dealing with overwrought parents, who turn to her to find cures for common childhood "ailments" like selfishness and answering back. The parents are identical characters (distant and wise-cracking father; baffled and concerned mother) in every story, and Mrs Piggle-Wiggle's cure is always to let the child's behavior run its natural, albeit extreme, course. Although rigidly formulaic, the writing is marvelously absurd, clever, and unforgettable.