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kendranicole28 's review for:
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
by Betty MacDonald
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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