Shy Miss Twiggley keeps to herself living with a dog, a cat, and some bears in a treehouse on the edge of town, but the mayor's wife thinks this kind of nonconformity is unacceptable. But then a natural disaster shows the value of thinking (and living) outside the box.

The cliched plot and bland moral didn't do much for me. Putting the story into verse didn't help much either. ( )

50548

Aw, what a sweet fantasy. Now, I hoped that Miss Twiggley would be allowed to just choose to be a hermit, but it turns out she's just shy and needs to be brought out of her shell. Still, it's good that the village learns a lesson in tolerance, too.

I still want to live in a weeping willow tree with just a dog (not even a color tv) when I'm old. ( )

Absolutely charming! A real keeper. Miss Twiggley and her dog Puss live in a tree. The people in town come by to visit but Miss Twiggley is shy and hides. Puss goes into town for the groceries and shopping and is chased home by the town dogs. A hurricane washes out the town and many people find their way to Miss Twiggley's. She is there waiting for them with a big pot of stew and many beds. All shyness is set aside in an emergency. This is a great book and would be good to read aloud to children 4-8. ( )

Originally published in 1966, and then reprinted in this 2002 Purple House Press edition, Miss Twiggley's Tree is the tale, told in rhyming verse, of an eccentric woman, her canine companion, and her arboreal home. "Funny Miss Twiggley / Lived in a tree / With a dog named Puss / And a color TV," the story begins, going on to relate how Miss Twiggley, a shy spinster with a tendency to hide from visitors, overcame her social trepidation when a hurricane threatened the area, and learned to interact with her neighbors. The townspeople, on the other hand (including the rather officious mayor's wife), learned that eccentricity doesn't have to be a bad thing, and that living in a tree has its advantages...

This is a sweet little tale, one with a good message about learning to accept differences, and look beneath the surface, and it boasts its creator's lovely artwork, which has a charming vintage feeling to it. Dorothea Warren Fox was a well-known illustrator in her day, whose work appeared in many magazines, as well as in Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care. I don't think I was quite as blown away by this one, as the friend who recommended it to me (although I thank her for making me aware of it!), but I did appreciate the humor to be found in both story and artwork, and the heartwarming conclusion. Recommended to young readers who enjoy rhyming tales, and to anyone with a taste for vintage picture-books. ( )