OOOOPS ..... I left one of today's holidays off the list.

Today is also "Wiggle Your Toes Day!"

Now, how could I forgotten that????

Wiggle my toes? Whew, what a relief! If I had to wiggle anything else, I’m sure I’d hurt myself. ;)

Happy Wednesday to Amy's Place!

Uncle Wiggly lived in a perilous world.

(I know, I know. He wiggled his ears and his nose--and not his toes.)

Before being immortalized as a children's board game, Uncle Wiggly was the beloved hero of a long series of children's books. American author Howard Roger Garis (1873 - 1962) wrote dozens and dozens of Uncle Wiggly stories, beginning in 1910. However, the first short stories initially ran in a New Jersey newspaper, the Newark News. The formula for the stories remained a fairly constant cycle of commerce mixed with confrontation.

Lovable elder rabbit Uncle Wiggly runs some errand or another, usually going to fetch an item requested by his muskrat housekeeper, Nurse Jane. During his outing he runs into one of his many friendly animal pals, a small bit of mischief or adventure ensues, and Wiggly is then ambushed by one of several large ‘bad’ animals, who usually want to ‘nibble his ears’. More often than not, whatever item he's just purchased is then successfully used as a weapon to aid in his deliverance. ‘The Bunny Gentleman’ also seems to be fond of employing jovial banter during these potentially life-threatening encounters.

In addition to tales of Uncle Wiggly, during his career Howard R. Garis (using several different pseudonyms) wrote many books in various classic junior lit series, including Tom Swift, The Bobbsey Twins, and The Campfire Girls. His wife and children wrote similar material, also using pen names. Collectively they authored over 1000 books. The images in this set are from ‘Uncle Wiggly’s Picture Book’, first published in 1922. This edition was printed in 1940, by The Platt & Munk Co. Campbell's work would appear in many other children's books over the years, including (predictably) Bre’r Rabbit.

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