Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle #2

by Betty MacDonald, Hilary Knight (Illustrator)

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has a trick up her sleeve.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle loves everyone, and everyone loves her right back. The children love her because she is lots of fun. Their parents love her because she can cure children of absolutely any bad habit. The treatment are unusual, but they work! Who better than a pig, for instance, to teach a piggy little boy table manners? And what better way to cure the rainy-day "waddle-I-do's" than hunt for a pirate treasure in Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's upside-down house?

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Humor, Classics, Chapter Books

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1949

About the author

MacDonald was born Anne Elizabeth Campbell Bard in Boulder, Colorado. Her official birth date is given as March 26, 1908, although federal census returns seem to indicate 1907.

Her family moved to the north slope of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood in 1918, moving to the Laurelhurst neighborhood a year later and finally settling in the Roosevelt neighborhood in 1922, where she graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1924.

MacDonald married Robert Eugene Heskett (1895–1951) at age 20 in July 1927; they lived on a chicken farm in the Olympic Peninsula's Chimacum Valley, near Center and a few miles south of Port Townsend. She left Heskett in 1931 and returned to Seattle, where she worked at a variety of jobs to support their daughters Anne and Joan; after the divorce the ex-spouses had virtually no contact.

She spent nine months at Firland Sanatorium near Seattle in 1937–1938 for treatment of tuberculosis. On April 24, 1942 she married Donald C. MacDonald (1910–1975) and moved to Vashon Island, where she wrote most of her books. The MacDonalds moved to California's Carmel Valley in 1956.

MacDonald rose to fame when her first book, The Egg and I, was published in 1945. It was a bestseller and was translated into 20 languages. Based on her life on the Chimacum Valley chicken farm, the books introduced the characters Ma and Pa Kettle, who also were featured in the movie version of The Egg and I. The characters become so popular a series of nine more films were made featuring them. In the film of The Egg and I, made in 1947, MacDonald was played by Claudette Colbert. Her husband (simply called "Bob" in the book) was called "Bob MacDonald" in the film, as studio executives were keen not to raise the matter of MacDonald's divorce in the public consciousness. He was played by Fred MacMurray.
Although the book was a critical and popular success at publication, in the 1970s it was criticized for its stereotypical treatment of Native Americans. It had also been claimed that it "spawned a perception of Washington as a land of eccentric country bumpkins like Ma and Pa Kettle."

MacDonald's defenders point out that in the context of the 1940s such stereotyping was far more acceptable. MacDonald faced two lawsuits: by members of a family who claimed she had based the Kettles on them, and by a man who claimed he was the model for the Indian character Crowbar. One lawsuit was settled out of court, while the second went to trial in February 1951. The plaintiffs did not prevail, although the judge indicated he felt they had shown that some of the claims of defamation had merit.

MacDonald also published three other semi-autobiographical books: Anybody Can Do Anything, recounting her life in the Depression trying to find work; The Plague and I, describing her nine-month stay at the Firlands tuberculosis sanitarium; and Onions in the Stew, about her life on Vashon Island with her second husband and daughters during the war years. She also wrote the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series of children's books and another children's book, entitled Nancy and Plum. A posthumous collection of her writings, entitled Who Me?, was later released.[citation needed]
MacDonald died in Seattle of uterine cancer on February 7, 1958

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites of the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books, because it introduces the well-mannered pig Lester, and ends with a treasure hunt through Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's upside down house, as the children try to help her find her husband's pirate treasure! I yearned to find a lucky gold piece wrapped in a black silk scarf as a child! In fact, I still do!

[Byron Norsworthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My five-year old enjoyed it, but it got kind of old for me, as the stories all follow the exact same formula: WASP-y family with a common WASP-y last name and three children (two boys and a girl, or two girls and a boy), submissive homemaker Mom, and grumpy, half-absent Dad, have problem with kids acting up, usually starting at the breakfast table while Mom serves them a hearty, traditional breakfast while Dad grumps and sometimes yells from behind his newspaper. Distraught Mom calls Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle after sending kids and Dad off to school and work. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has kids stop over on the way home from school and gives them magic powder/formula that will miraculously foil their misbehavior (why kids don't ever seem to question what they're delivering to Mom and Dad I'll never quite understand). Kids arrive home from school and Mom, still wearing her apron from and having barely broken a sweat, serves kids a freshly baked treat. Kids exclaim "Hot Diggity", "Oh Boy", and "Swell" a few times. Mom applies magic powder/formula at opportune moment and misbehavior miraculously begins to dissipate. Two days later, everything's peachy again, and Dad gets to disengage and read his morning paper in peace.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 2 out of 5]

In short, there’s absolutely no magic in this sequel. Unlike the original Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, in which the cures were inventive and writing quite funny, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle’s Magic depends on silly magical potions sprinkled through a book that’s only occasionally amusing. Stick with the first one.

[Lydia Presley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. I thought the book was cute, easy to read and the solutions, although out there (hello Radish Cure) were believable enough.

That said, I was disappointed in Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic. I should have known by the title that this book would be different.

Instead of the cures outlined in Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, in this book Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle resorts to magic to cure the naughty children. While some of it is amusing (tattle-tales), after a few chapters even my niece and nephew started to get bored. That made me sad - because, as I said, I really enjoyed Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.

Another thing I disliked, and this is more personal preference, but the 20 page chapters were really difficult to read in one sitting. The first book was perfect. I could read out loud for 20 minutes and complete a chapter before bedtime, but I was constantly having to split them up with this one.

If you want to introduce your children to Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, don't bother with this book - get the first. It's well worth your time.

[Helena Sorensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Make sure you get your regular dose of Betty MacDonald. She's one of my very favorites. If nothing else, you'll meet children with names like "Paraphernalia Grotto." I mean...

[Mariclare Forsyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good fun. Parents be advised, though, that if the behavioral difficulty is not something your kid already struggles with, they might get IDEAS. I-thought-you-said-itis had not made its way into our home until yesterday when we started this book. 😂

[Sarah Booth · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories are dated; boys and girls have specific gender roles and girls are expected to grow up to be good wives for their husbands and make flower arrangements without actual flowers for some strange reason. Learning disabilities and ADHD behavior is treated with powdered magic which today just means dose your kid up meds, so I have mixed feelings about these books. They're your basic morality/behavior tales which kids absorb and learn to stand tall and fly right. Parents are usually portrayed as strict and very concerned with what the neighbours think, and they'd rather give a spanking than spend the time teaching proper behavior. Despite all these things that raised an eyebrow for me, I did enjoy a couple of the stories such as the pirate treasure one where Mrs. Piggly-Wiggly is vulnerable and skint, and kids are helpful and entertained by going through her entire house looking for hidden treasure which appeals to us all even as adults. I also loved Lester (?) the pig who taught a boy proper table manners so he wouldn't embarrass his family when he went to a friends house for dinner though it did spoil it a bit that it was to hear about a trophy hunter who shot lions, tiger, and what have you for no legitimate reason other than to think himself a manly man by uneven combat. I understand people hunting to feed their families, but killing beautiful animals minding their own business so you can think you're a real man makes me want to get a baseball bat and express my opinion not using my words except as NSFW qualifiers.

For me these stories are a bit of nostalgia and I am looking for a specific one my dad used to read to me in a funny voice when I was little. I can't quite remember the boy's name, (Fetlock??) but my dad did this great voice for this character who was a chronic liar and claimed his father was a cat burglar. My dad and I laughed like hell over this voice for a lot of my childhood, and I'd like to find the story and read it to him now that he is almost 95.

[Wendy Bousfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

MRS. PIGGLE-WIGGLE’S MAGIC is the second of four books by Betty Macdonald, in which an energetic, eccentric widow cures children of bad habits (1947-1957). At the request of distraught parents, Mrs. P-W cures “Thought-You-Saiders” (children who deliberately mishear what is said to them), Tattle-Tales, Interrupters, Never-Want-to-Go-to Schoolers, and other young malingerers.

Each fault is comically exaggerated. The father of the Heedless Breaker tells his daughter: “You’re only eight years old and I’d like to keep you for another twelve or thirteen years at least but at the rate you’re breaking things I won’t be able to afford it. Let’s see, last week you broke eleven cups, there are fifty-two weeks in a year and 52 X 11 is 572 cups and year and we have at least twelve more years to go. . . (74). Mrs. P-W cures most children with magic potions. The pattern of out-of-control children returned magically to normal became repetitive for me--but would not for a child.

For me, two chapters stood out: “The Never-Want-to-go-to-Schooler” (negatively) and “The Bad Table-Manners Cure” (positively). The former is the only chapter that would be uncomfortable to 21st century sensibilities. Jody repeatedly fakes illness to avoid school. After taking Mrs. P_W’s “IGNORANCE TONIC,” Jody no longer knows how to use tools, cannot count, and talks with a speech impediment. When other children shun him, Judy decides that being a “dubby” is no fun and returns to school. In the 1940’s, “Little Moron” jokes were popular, but a 21st century reader would find the mockery of mental retardation distasteful.

My favorite chapter is “The Bad-Table-Manners Cure.” Because of his atrocious table-manners (“He picked up his soup bowl and held it just under his chin while he slurped his soup. . . . he gestured with a fork full of food so that bits of food shot around the room like stones from a slingshot“ [40].), Christopher’s distraught parents appeal to Mrs. P-W. She loans them her pig, Lester. Lester models impeccable table manners and gently corrects Christopher: “Christopher’s mouth was open but full, he had whipped cream on his upper lip and crumbs on his chin. Lester reached across the table and gently closed Christopher’s mouth. Then he wiped the whipped cream off his upper lip and the crumbs off his chin” (45). Mrs. P-W prematurely retrieves Lester, because other parents have a manners crisis. However, through Lester’s influence is brief, Christopher is fully cured. Mrs. Thompson tells Mrs. Brown that her son’s “table manners are simply perfect” (57)

I grew up in the 1940’s. My mother, an elementary school teacher, believed passionately that reading to children was essential to their intellectual and moral development. Though I was never introduced to Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, my mother read aloud stories with the same comically exaggerated didacticism. I remember the GOOPS books by Gelett Burgess: line drawings of children doing disgusting things with the caption: “Don’t be a Goop!” There were Goofus and Gallant: washing dishes, playing a game, reading a book, Goofus behaved boorishly, while Gallant modeled correct behavior. In Munro Leaf’s cartoon series, Watchbirds watching obnoxious children functioned as their super egos.

The Goops, Goofus and Gallant, and the Watchbirds books are no longer in print. In contrast, the original Mrs. P-W books are not only available, but MacDonald’s daughter wrote a sequel in 2007 sequel, based on notes in her mother’s papers: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MRS. PIGGLE-WIGGLE. The friend who loaned me MRS. PIGGLE-WIGGLE’S MAGIC told me that her nieces and nephews love Mrs. P-W and delight in making up bad habits for her to cure. Rather like being a scold like the Watchbirds, Mrs. P-W loves and respects children. When their failures are due to inexperience rather than willfulness, she helps them find solutions and save face. The Mrs. P-W books would make a wonderful gift for a child in upper elementary school.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, dear Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle! So charming! I absolutely love the little details of these, and MacDonald's superb writing! This is the charming book in which Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle runs out of money, and the children search her house for more pirate treasure. Only in a book like this could a little magical woman live in an upside-down house built by her husband, who used to be a pirate!

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently read several stories with magical nannies coming to the rescue of families in need. I thought it would be fun to compare each of their pros and cons and see how they lined up ...

Before I share that though, I thought I would mention that in this particular book, chapter favorites were The Tattletale Cure and The Heedless Breaker. So funny!

Now... the comparison:

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle:
-Likable “nanny.”
-The children have some common bad habits and learn their lessons nicely (actually, these stories are pretty practical and applicable, so if you have kids who are slow eaters, don’t pick up their toys, etc. there’s some good, fun lessons here).
-The book is pretty funny.
-I loved the writing style and the illustrations were great!
-I was satisfied with the ending.


Nurse Matilda:
-Likable nanny.
-The children are naughtier in this book; doing things sometimes just for naughtiness’ sake (like throwing their porridge on the walls) but they always end up regretting their decisions and learning their lesson (I think the author was trying to be a little tongue-in-cheek with the kid’s actions).
-The book is really funny.
-I loved the writing style and the illustrations were great!
-The first book has a satisfying ending (books #2 and #3 are essentially repeats, but with different circumstances, so I would have rather liked to see the author use a different family to show that the children really had changed and weren’t back to their old antics again – still fun reads though).


Mary Poppins:
-I did not like the nanny (watch the movie instead, if you want to like Mary Poppins; Julie Andrews did a great job enhancing and making the character likable).
-There’s actually FOUR children and they all need some help with their behaviors and perspectives, but in the end, they learn too. (There’s one chapter in the book, Bad Tuesday, they I don’t recommend reading to your kids).
-I don’t remember thinking it was all that funny.
-I loved the writing style and the illustrations were great!
-I was not satisfied with the ending (Mary Poppins leaves, and rather than the family coming together (like in the movie), the mother calls for the cook to put the children to bed so she can be off to her dinner party).

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[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first encounter with Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, and I wonder if I'd read the original book if that might have helped me appreciate this one a bit more.

I certainly expected Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle herself to be more of a character in the book. With the exception of the final chapter, she is pretty much relegated to brief phone conversations with parents at their wit's end--sometimes even just a second-hand summary of what she said.

I also expected Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's cures to be somewhat more transferable to actual children, but they are (to be fair, as the title suggests) wildly magical. They are also somewhat repetitive. With the notable exceptions of Lester, the charming pig with impeccable table manners, and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's treasure hunt in her house, the cures are slight variations of magical powders and elixirs.

Nevertheless, there is a vintage charm to the book. From the character names to the fact that every mother feeds her children cookies (usually with hot cocoa or some other sweet beverage) as an after-school snack, there is a definite 1940s/50s feel to the book. It is one to be enjoyed for what it is rather than criticized too sharply for what it is not.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nostalgic, humorous, and a great read-aloud. My kids (6, 10, 13) all begged for more when I had to stop reading. I remember having my second grade teacher read these books to us. I loved them then, loved them now.

As a parent, I appreciated the fact that behaviors and habits were brought into the spotlight as less than desirable. Obviously, the cures are not realistic (though I wish some of them were!!) but kids seem to get the point.

I also enjoy the fact that these stories capture a time period—a simpler time, when children all played together, parents supported each other through parenting, and expectations were more traditional. Snapshots of that way of life are valuable.

[Clare Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll give Betty MacDonald five out of five birds! This is the second installment in her Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's series. It was a fun read with my little girls. I thought that the stories were a little bit of a stretch but none-the-less we enjoyed their quirkiness. We loved the ending, imagining the kids in the basement looking for treasure. If you haven't read this series, it's definitely worth picking up.

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately this was nowhere near as good as the first one. First complaint is that the chapters and sentences are both VERY long. It makes it really awkward and draining to read. In this one, all of Mrs Piggle Wiggle's cures are pills and powders instead of natural consequences like the first book. Mrs. Piggle Wiggle herself also displays some depressive symptoms that just weren't fun. Reading this as a readaloud is not my favorite due to the writing style so I'm not sure if we'll continue.

[Shawn Thrasher · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the Piggle-Wiggle world, there is a magic cure for everything: interrupting, bad table manners, not wanting to go to school, and all the moms (and occasional dads) can rest at ease knowing she’s there to take the tough cases out of their hands.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because I like magic and wizards and money and all. I like Lester because he teached a boy how to eat properly. So, like, every day, and five days, Lester stayed and then leaved the next day, I think.

[Ammie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the original. The cures weren't as inventive and funny as the original, they relied on potions and magic to cure the kids which was boorriinngg. The chapters/stories were two or three times longer as well, which made it harder to sit down and read a quick one with my littlest.

[DD · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Mrs. Piggle WIGGLE SERIES

[H Loose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like all of the cures that she comes up with. I think the ending of the book is the happiest of all the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books.

[Whitney Newby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another delightful read aloud for my 5 and 7 year old!

[Veronika Pizano · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strany a strany opisov a zväčša len v závere na pár stranách rýchlo rýchlo poriešené "choroby" detí. A matky stále telefonujú susedkám, hoci pani Ententínová je už v okolí všeobecne známa.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

We’ve read or listened to this so many times and everyone still loves it.

[Mikayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second favorite in the series. It had all the sparkle and magic of the first book and it was delightful. Even if I don't think these would really be the best for the kids, it was fun to have such unique solutions.

[Kelsey Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was so cute. Very few parts didn’t age well. Manners mixed with pirates treasure. It was worth the read, the kids giggled so much!

[Megan (sporadic hiatus due to law school) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as fun as the first book since each scenario/family tends to follow the same formula but still enjoyable nonetheless.

[Emily Riewerts]

The kids love Mrs. Piggle Wiggle! Great audiobook for our drives to town.

[Taylor Ronnei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read with our ears summer of ‘25
E - 7
G - 5
R - 4
H - 1
Mrs Piggle Wiggle strikes again! Solving family’s problems and helping parents exercise loving parenting skills. We all enjoyed.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where can I buy the powder for the magic that is the Interrupter's Cure? I need it plz.

[Coco Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another delightful read in the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series. Yes the stories are all very predictable and follow the same pattern, but my children love the stories and illustrations. We specifically loved the pig, Lester, in this book.

[Elizabeth Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was always my favorite out of the entire series. You can't go wrong when you mix magic with Mrs P!