Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Books

Read the five Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle collections in publication order, beginning with Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. Most chapters are self-contained stories about a different child and cure, so families can also read them aloud selectively.

Missy Piggle-Wiggle is a separate three-book contemporary spinoff. It takes place after Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle leaves the upside-down house in her great-niece's care, so read it after the classics if your child wants the connection, or start there for more modern-day problems.

Sources: Macmillan's official Missy Piggle-Wiggle inventory, Macmillan's official third-volume page.

The classic books were written from the 1940s through the 1950s, and some ideas about obedience, chores, gender roles, body size, and correcting behavior can feel dated or harsh to modern families. The exaggerated cures are comic fantasy rather than parenting advice. The Missy books retain the playful cure-of-the-week structure while using contemporary children, technology, and family situations.