The
parents of five children with very bad habits are at their wits ends, until they discover that a quirky little neighbor
lady, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, has the perfect cures for all of them. Mrs. Piggle Wiggles lives down the street (in an upside down house), providing a happy meeting place for all of the neighborhood children. Mrs. Piggle Wiggle has a way with youngsters. She listens to their problems and cheers them up with humor, a delightful imagination, and fresh-baked cookies.
Parents love her too, because she always seems to have a cure for the worst of childhood problems.
When the exasperated Mr. and Mrs. Foxglove contact Mrs. Piggle Wiggle about their little crybaby Melody, she provides them with a bottle of Crybaby Tonic. The first dose clears up her swelling eyes and runny nose, but as soon the tears begin to flow, water gushes everywhere, filling her dinner plate and creating a puddle beneath her chair. After several other near-flood level experiences, Melody learns that crying never solves anything, and miraculously outgrows her tantrums.
Phillip Carmody is a daredevil. He attempts death-defying tricks in an effort to impress anyone who will watch. Unfortunately he damages property and hurts himself in the process, and his parents are beside themselves with worry until Mrs. Piggle Wiggle gives his mother a bottle of Show-Off Powder. Now, whenever Phillip tries
foolish antics, he disappears! No one watches, no one is even interested, and suddenly, Phillip feels rather foolish, and his bumps and bruises hurt!
Published in 1957, Hello, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle is the last of Betty MacDonald’s Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series. Although the stories in this last edition are a bit lengthier, they are every bit as entertaining and delightful as those in her previous books; Mrs. Piggle Wiggle (1947), Mrs. Piggle Wiggle’s Magic (1949), and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle’s Farm (1954). Perfect for reading aloud, Hello, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle is again illustrated by the lively and amusing drawings of Hilary Knight.