Happy Birthday, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (HarperCollins)) | 
 enlarge | Authors: Betty Macdonald, Anne Macdonald Canham
Creator: Alexandra Boiger
Publisher: HarperCollins
Category: Book
List Price: $5.99
Buy New: $2.36
You Save: $3.63 (61%)
New (31) Used (6) from $2.36
Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 96374
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 208
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.5
ISBN: 0060728140
EAN: 9780060728144
ASIN: 0060728140
Publication Date: October 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is back with a brand-new bundle of wonderfully magical cures for any bad habit—from watching too much TV, to picky eating, to fear of trying new things. And while Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is working her magic, the children are working some of their own, planning a boisterous birthday bash for everyone's favorite problem solver!
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| Customer Reviews:
 Well... it is nice to see Mrs. PW again December 31, 2008
I must say it is a joy to see a return of the delightful Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle in any form, so I have to credit Anne in her endeavor of getting this out. The only story here actually written by Betty MacDonald is the first--however, daughter Anne found the notes for the rest and wrote them herself. While she gets the basics of the stories right, however, they don't quite have the same spark as the original stories and these seem to be reflections of earlier stories that do little more than follow the rules. Still, it is still Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and it is fun.
 Happy Birthday Mrs. Piggle December 22, 2008
I read the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books when I was a child (57+ years ago) and really enjoyed and remembered them. For example, I have never forgotten the "Radish Cure." I ordered several books this Christmas for my granddaughter and hope she enjoys them as much as I did. They are funny and well-written.They are easy to read for a well-read child.
 Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle would be Horrified! October 3, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I adored the original Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books by Betty MacDonald. I found them at my grandparent's house where they had belonged to my mother and my aunt. The books included collections of fabulous and fantastical short stories where children were duly 'rewarded' for their behavior. For example, The Radish Cure featured a child who didn't want to bathe; in due time, her mother planted tiny seeds in the caked on dirt. They sprouted and grew and her mother harvested the little radishes until she begged for a bath. Each story typically involved some sort of magic or slightly-over-the-edge logical consequential come-uppance. I still laugh hysterically at some of the stories (I Thought You Said Itis cracks me up even now). I was really thrilled to find a 'new' Piggle-Wiggle book...until I read it.
It was a crushingly disappointing read. Happy Birthday Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle lacks the backward charm and inventive cures of the originals... rather you're bludgeoned with politically correct solutions. It is not as well written or thoughtfully developed. Part of the charm of the originals was the magic -- the unwitting and clueless parents, the mature talking animals and children who were allowed to be their rather beastly selves. Happy Birthday tries too hard to homogenize the cures, the children and poor Mrs. Piggle Wiggle herself.
Truly, this book is a sad attempt and a poor tribute to Betty MacDonald's lasting legacy of humor and creativity. Save your money and buy the originals.
more of same silly but wise fun March 16, 2008
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
the book I read is the newest in a series 50+ yrs old, the last of the 4 originals was published in 1957; after the author died, her daughter found unpublished work & added to it to create another bk following the same format as the originals; Mrs Piggle Wiggle was married to a pirate who died; she lives in an upside down house w/5 pets & gets along great w/children; she seems like all she does is play, but she teaches lessons along the way w/magic "cures" for all kinds of problems parents have w/their kids; I think the bks appeal to children of multiple generations because kids are the central characters, there are silly names, animals, & issues common to children & parents, but w/the fun of magic touches & solutions; a key ingredient to the success of the "cures", aside from the magic, is the fact that Mrs Piggle-Wiggle has intimate knowledge of each child & teams w/parents to solve problems wo/the kids knowing she has a role; though the original bks were published in the 1940s & 1950s & set in what was typical for that mid 20th century era, the newest bk carries out the same idea successfully because the issues common to children & parents remain constant through multiple generations - over indulgence in media, bedtime struggles, won't brush teeth, insulting peers, picky eater, fear of failure/afraid to try new things, messy habits, not following through on tasks, etc; as a parent of an ADHD child, I could not help but clearly see that the 4th grade girl in the "never-finish" vignette suffers from ADHD; instead of "accomplishment powder" sprinkled on her hands & feet during sleep to help her stick to tasks till completion, medication might be in order!; fun to see parallels between real life elements & those in the latest bk, such as cereal & media star names; as a parent, it was frustrating to see parents in the bks so helpless as to how to address kids behavior issues, however, this is part of the story; you have to forget about the parents needing to use common sense & get firm holds of situations where kids are out of control, because this where Mrs Piggle-Wiggle comes in to save the day w/magic & behind the scenes child psychology in each scenario; the latest bk in the series was published by the original author's daughter 50 yrs after the last one by her mother; it is fitting that the title & ending vignette are celebrating the unknown birthday of the timeless central character; I read the newest bk to prepare me as a parent to oversee & aid my 3rd grade child in doing a fantasy book report; the target audience of the Piggle-Wiggle series is early elementary age children, however, there is definite appeal to adults/parents too; these would be excellent for parents & kids to read together, or for teachers to use to launch creative thinking/writing projects in class
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