Uncle Wiggly and His Friends

Uncle Wiggly and His Friends

 1955 By Howard R. Garis Illustrated by George Carlson

 This is one of those books, which upon opening, magically transports one back to the strange, magic golden days of childhood. When I found a facsimile reprint of it for my oldest child, the second I opened it and saw those vibrant colors and familiar drawings, I was instantly transported back to my own childhood. Colorful, lively, engaging and just plain fun! I loved this book from the minute I opened it

 Discovered at age 7 on the vast and varied bookshelf in my grandparent's upstairs hall, the vivid colors and charming anthropomorphic characters are a real kid magnet .

 Uncle Wiggly Longears, "the old rabbit gentleman" who, depsite his rheumatism and need for a " red and white and blue striped barber pole crutch", spends his days having adventures in the forest, helping others, and playing with the various animal children. I wish more humans were as nice as Uncle Wiggly!

 My all-time favorite chapter is Uncle Wiggly and the Apple Dumpling, where Uncle Wiggly, motoring through the forest in his automobile --"all of a sudden"--, finds a broken down tree stump house, with a cold, hungry squirrel family shivering inside. "Ha! I'll soon fix this!" cried Uncle Wiggly'. He immediately whips out the apple dumpling intended for his dear friend Grandpa Goosey Gander. "Here little squirrels, he cried---"here is something to make you warm. Just gather around it, and toast your tootsies! I'll soon have a regular fire here, and you'll be all right, but get warm at this pail first."

 Not content with that, Uncle Wiggly rushes off to buy coal for the stove, and plenty of groceries Upon his return home, Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy, the kind muskrat lady housekeeper, wonders what has become of the apple dumpling? Not one to boast of his kind deeds, Wiggy just asks for his apple dumpling, which he then takes to Grandpa Goosey.

 Eight chapters include: Uncle Wiggly and the Barber, where the kind monkey barber helps Wiggy out of a "sticky" situation. Uncle Wiggly and the Apple Dumpling (see above). Uncle Wiggly Learns to Dance, wherein Wiggy doesnt let his rheumatism stop him from learning some fancy new steps and surprising everybody when he and nurse Jane step out and cut the rug at the animal's Dance party.


 Uncle Wiggly and the Snow Plow, where not only does a snowstorm fail to keep Wiggy housebound, but becomes an opprtunity for rabbit ingenuity and a fun way to help others.

 Uncle Wiggly and the Wagon Sleds, where good ole Wiggy turns a bad dog day for Jackie and Peetie Bow Wow into a clever new way to have fun ( and recycle old baby carriages).

 Uncle Wiggly and the Peppermint, in which Wiggy , on a mission to get peppermint for nurse Jane's indigestion, outwits an unfriendly bear. He also manages to remains polite and cheerful, even when his demise appears imminent. 

Uncle Wiggly and the Red Spots, which may not be what they seem Uncle Wiggly and the Canoe, an island adventure leads to an airborne mishap, an "isolated" situation, and a skillful escape.

 Each chapter has an accompanying poem, and a silly teaser at the end to get you to read the next chapter; "But in the next story if the pancake-turner doesn't go to a dance with the egg-beater and break its handle, I'll tell you about Uncle Wiggly and The Wagon Sleds."

 Uncle Wiggly is loads of fun, and teaches kindness to others as well as solving problems ingeniously, without ever being preachy or moralistic. Nor does Wiggy let chronic rheumatism get in the way of adventure or charitable deed. All five of my little owlets enjoyed this book.

 It was reprinted in 1986 in a facsimile edition of the original colorful 1955 edition. Both are available from amazon, eBay , etc. starting at about $6.00.

 There is also a contemporary (1987) reprint of Uncle Wiggly's Story Book (originally published in 1921) which has a modern cover, but the original drawings and text. The stories have people as well as animals. I found them to be a little contrived, cutesy, and moralistic, and we never finished the book. If you are a die-hard Uncle Wiggly fan however, you might want to check it out.

 There are also several Dover Thrift Editions of Uncle Wiggly available for about $2.50, such as Uncle Wiggly's Bedtime Stories and Favorite Uncle Wiggly Animal Bedtime Stories.

 If you're an antique book enthusiast, there are other un-reprinted Uncle Wiggly books available on amazon and Etsy, as well as at used book shops, starting around $6.00 and up. There's even an Uncle Wiggly Game for children. It's fast-paced and plenty of fun, and helps reinforce counting and early reading skills. It has been played quite a bit at our house. Widely available for about $14.99.