SOLVED. Children's Chapter Book about a girl who does not want to clean her house or do chores so the family quits cleaning and vacuuming and the house eventually turns into a jungle. Pre-1988. [s]

[Breia]

I am looking for a children’s book read in approximately 1986-1987 when I was 8 or 9 years old. It was a chapter book and I recall pencil drawings at the beginning of the chapters. It was about a girl who does not want to clean her house or do chores so the family quits cleaning and vacuuming and the house eventually turns into a jungle. The dust piles up, soon there is a swamp with an alligator or crocodile and trees and vines grow everywhere. I wanted this to happen in real life! I do not recall the girls name nor the title or author. I do not know if the book was new or not at that time (the library was very small and in a rural area).

I read this several times taken from my little school library. At that time I was reading the Fudge books by Judy Blume, Ramona books by Beverly Cleary, Pippi Longstocking and loved everything by Roald Dahl.

I have checked with librarians and performed various web searches but have been unable to find this book.

[Tab]

GERTIE'S GREEN THUMB ? One of the reviews mentions the family stops cleaning the house. The house becomes a wild habitat with butterflies and an alligator.

If not, do you remember the cover?

[Breia]

I cannot remember the magic wishbone but I have ordered the book from AbeBooks.com. My library did not have it to check out (nor the state!)

The cover actually looks vaguely familiar to me but it is going back 25 years here.

Thank you so much for the post and I will let you know if you solved my question.

[Rainbowheart]

Did you confirm this the right book, Breia?

[Breia]

Rainbowheart wrote: "Did you confirm this the right book, Breia?"

I have not been able to confirm this but can close out this request if needed.

Thank you.

[Rainbowheart]

No worries. I mentioned it because it came up here a few days ago....

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

FWIW, I'm positive this is your book.

[Breia]

Thank you!

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Breia, there's no time pressure to declare any thread Solved, so there's no need for us to "close out" a thread. We want to make sure you are satisfied that this is your book. It does seem to be, there's an alligator involved as you mentioned. Did you order the book and find it didn't confirm your memory of it? Or are you ready to call this Solved?

[Breia]

I was not able to find the book anywhere! The WI library system does not have it. I do need to look again and also through used book sites.

[Adele]

There are a couple listings for this book on ebay. This has a picture of an interior illustration as well as the cover: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gerties-Green...

[Breia]

Thank you! I will check this out.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Breia, was "Gertie's Green Thumb" your book or are you still looking?

[Breia]

Lobstergirl wrote: "Breia, was "Gertie's Green Thumb" your book or are you still looking?"

No. But you can close this request if needed. Thank you.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

We don't need to - threads can stay open indefinitely. However if you have zero interest in finding the book, we can move it to Abandoned.

[Breia]

Lobstergirl wrote: "We don't need to - threads can stay open indefinitely. However if you have zero interest in finding the book, we can move it to Abandoned."

Then please leave it open. Thank you!

[SamSpayedPI]

Could it be a Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle book? I don't think it's the first one (which is the only one I read), but I know it's a series, and this sounds like one of her "cures." For example, a kid who refuses to go to bed is allowed to stay up as late as she wants, and eventually she misses out on all of the fun because she's asleep on her feet all day; a kid that refuses to clean his room is allowed to stop, until so many toys are piled up that he can't leave; a kid that refuses to bathe is allowed to stop, until she's so dirty that her family plants vegetables on her.

[Rainbowheart]

It's definitely Gertie's Green Thumb. I've read it and absolutely everything Breia mentioned matches.

[Rainbowheart]

Kirkus review has lots of details....

I wish this whole house was full of plants and you would throw that thing [the vacuum] away."" So Gertie shouts, newfound old wishbone casually in hand, when her mother tells her to clean her room and throw out her scraggly plants. Oddly, her mother answers ""Why not?""--and out goes the vacuum. Soon, sprouts and vines, then trees, grow in the house. The floors become lawns, small animals appear, and the family throws out the furniture to camp in sleeping bags by the stream in the den. They pick their dinner (no more supermarkets), and have acquired a moose and an alligator, when an officious neighbor takes over and organizes house tours. Soon the networks visit, then the President, who will install a Nature Room at the White House. But when smells and shoots invade the town, the house is condemned; and Gertie, to save it from the bulldozers, grabs the wishbone and wishes everything ""back to the way it was in the beginning."" A mighty ""earthquake"" clears the house of flora and fauna; but when moss and grasses reappear, Gertie and her brother realize that ""back to the beginning"" simply means that the process will start all over. Hooray! And this time there is no going back, as a dog has taken off with the wishbone. This quickie fantasy may be just the thing for insatiable light summer readers. However, Dexter doesn't make anything hilarious of the individual scenes.

[Breia]

Rainbowheart wrote: "Kirkus review has lots of details....

I wish this whole house was full of plants and you would throw that thing [the vacuum] away."" So Gertie shouts, newfound old wishbone casually in hand, when ..."

I will look into this again and report back. Thank you!

[Rainbowheart]

Breia, did you manage to get a copy?

I'm 100% certain it's the one in question.

[Breia]

I found a copy on ebay but have yet to read it. Thanks!

[Rainbowheart]

No worries! Let us know if/when you read it so we can mark the thread solved.

[Breia]

You can close this. Thank you so much!!

[Rainbowheart]

Oh, awesome, great news! Thanks for the update. :)