Well, not really. Betty MacDonald, known also as the author of The Egg and I, was merely the gifted creator of the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series. However, her sister, Mary Bard, was also a writer. The dust jacket of Best Friends at School provides this photo and bio below:
The oldest daughter of a mining engineer, Mary Bard was born in Montana. Her father's work caused the family to move so frequently that she went to kindergarten in Mexico City, first grade in New York and second grade in Colorado, and did not complete one uninterrupted year of school until she was thirteen. Later, she studied at the University of Washington in Seattle.
In addition to her "Best Friends" books for young readers, Mary Bard is also the author of three books for adults: Forty Odd, The Doctor Wears Three Faces, and Just Be Yourself (a memoir about her experiences as a Girl Scout leader).
The author and her doctor husband have three daughters and live on Vashon Island near Seattle.
Thanks to Peter Sieruta and his blog, Collecting Children's Books, for sharing news of these and so many other authors I enjoy.
8 comments:
I just love the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books!!! Adore them! I have several to share with my son when he is old enough!
My friend Paula, who lives here in Seattle and who I met through the Betsy-Tacy Society, is a writer and historian who has researched the lives of Betty and Mary. You can see some of her work at this link, an essay and slide show about the sisters.
http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=7035
My sister was saying the other night that I should write a new "tribute" volume of Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, starting with a chapter on the "It's not fair cure..."
Betty MacDonald and Mary Bard have so many fans from all over the world.
www.bettymacdonaldfanclub.blogspot.com/
There was a biography out this year (by Anne Wellman) of Betty MacDonald. The ever popular Mary figures prominently, of course.
As Maria mentioned, there is a new book called Looking for Betty MacDonald. I have not yet had time to read it but here is a link to a review: http://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/looking-for-betty-macdonald-finds-comedy-and-tragedy/.
I was actually referring to a biography that came out before the one you're referring to. It's called "Betty: The Story of Betty MacDonald, Author of The Egg and I", by Anne Wellman, and it has good reviews on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Betty-Story-MacDonald-Author-Egg/dp/1493662422) and Goodreads.
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