Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure: Whimsical Read Offers Antidote to Boredom
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and her upside-down house first came onto the scene in 1947 when author Betty MacDonald introduced the first book in her classic series about the quirky little woman with magical cures for children’s bad habits. Now The Baby-Sitters Club author Ann M. Martin—with the help of MacDonald’s great-granddaughter, Annie Parnell—is bringing the tales to a new generation of readers with a brand-new series about Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle’s great-niece, Missy Piggle-Wiggle, who shares her great-aunt’s talent for being beloved by—and concocting cures for—wayward children.
Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure
Hardcover $16.99
Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure
By
Ann M. Martin
,
Annie Parnell
Illustrator
Ben Hatke
Hardcover $16.99
The first book, out now, is Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure, with a follow-up planned for release in 2017. In the new iteration, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is off in search of her pirate husband and has asked Missy to come stay at the upside-down house and take care of the animals—among them, Wag, the dog; Lightfoot, the cat; Penelope, the talking parrot; and Lester, the pig who doesn’t talk but has exquisite manners and enjoys drinking coffee. Despite her new job at the Magic Institute for Children, Missy dutifully reports to Little Spring Valley to care for her great-aunt’s house and animals.
In the letter of instructions Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle leaves for Missy, she tacks on a postscript noting that the Freeforall family—allegorical names aplenty in this whimsical book—is having trouble with their children. And so begins Missy’s enchanting journey to cure the Little Spring Valley children of what ails them. And the “diseases” are abundant, including I-Never-Said-itis, greediness, tardiness, spying, and more. Luckily for the parents of Little Spring Valley, Missy has a magical potion for them all and knows just how to disseminate them to the children who need them—whether in a piece of gum or a special cookie. Not only does Missy help the kids break bad habits, but she also gives them a home away from home at the upside-down house, where they can play dress-up, dig for buried treasure, make a haunted house, and more.
And the children aren’t the only ones in need of a cure, as we see with the workaholic Freeforall parents who seem to have very little time for their three children, Petulance, Honoriah, and Frankfort. But, as Missy notes, adults are much more difficult to cure than children. This crafty woman finds a way, though.
Martin and Parnell do an excellent job of bringing the legendary Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle tales into the 21st century, plugging in a computer here and there, a cell phone every once in awhile, and mothers who work outside the home. But they’re able to add these small flourishes without altering the magical, timeless feel of Missy Piggle-Wiggle, the upside-down house, or the sweet town of Little Spring Valley.
The book makes for a fun readaloud and it’s a subtle way of getting young readers perhaps to look at some of their own less-than-stellar behaviors that may be in need of a cure. And even if kids don’t see themselves in the pages of Martin’s new book, they’ll still adore Missy Piggle-Wiggle and her upside-down house, and will be looking forward to the next book in what’s sure to become a new classic series.
What do you think of Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure?
The first book, out now, is Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure, with a follow-up planned for release in 2017. In the new iteration, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is off in search of her pirate husband and has asked Missy to come stay at the upside-down house and take care of the animals—among them, Wag, the dog; Lightfoot, the cat; Penelope, the talking parrot; and Lester, the pig who doesn’t talk but has exquisite manners and enjoys drinking coffee. Despite her new job at the Magic Institute for Children, Missy dutifully reports to Little Spring Valley to care for her great-aunt’s house and animals.
In the letter of instructions Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle leaves for Missy, she tacks on a postscript noting that the Freeforall family—allegorical names aplenty in this whimsical book—is having trouble with their children. And so begins Missy’s enchanting journey to cure the Little Spring Valley children of what ails them. And the “diseases” are abundant, including I-Never-Said-itis, greediness, tardiness, spying, and more. Luckily for the parents of Little Spring Valley, Missy has a magical potion for them all and knows just how to disseminate them to the children who need them—whether in a piece of gum or a special cookie. Not only does Missy help the kids break bad habits, but she also gives them a home away from home at the upside-down house, where they can play dress-up, dig for buried treasure, make a haunted house, and more.
And the children aren’t the only ones in need of a cure, as we see with the workaholic Freeforall parents who seem to have very little time for their three children, Petulance, Honoriah, and Frankfort. But, as Missy notes, adults are much more difficult to cure than children. This crafty woman finds a way, though.
Martin and Parnell do an excellent job of bringing the legendary Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle tales into the 21st century, plugging in a computer here and there, a cell phone every once in awhile, and mothers who work outside the home. But they’re able to add these small flourishes without altering the magical, timeless feel of Missy Piggle-Wiggle, the upside-down house, or the sweet town of Little Spring Valley.
The book makes for a fun readaloud and it’s a subtle way of getting young readers perhaps to look at some of their own less-than-stellar behaviors that may be in need of a cure. And even if kids don’t see themselves in the pages of Martin’s new book, they’ll still adore Missy Piggle-Wiggle and her upside-down house, and will be looking forward to the next book in what’s sure to become a new classic series.
What do you think of Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure?