Mercy Watson to the Rescue

During the Covid years, Grandpa James read to our granddaughters online every day.

There is nothing like Mercy Watson, a joyful “porcine wonder,” and her love of “hot toast with a great deal of butter on it” to brighten a day! Although I hadn’t intended to listen to the story, at the mere mention of that toast, I was hooked. I still smile whenever I think of Mercy and her lovably eccentric neighbors on Deckawoo Drive.

Now that we feel like part of their community, of course we had to read every book in the series. Although Mercy probably prefers… show more.

I have vivid memories of my voice getting louder and more hysterical, and my kids literally jumping up and down on their futon bed, laughing and clapping with delight, as I would read through the exciting ending of each of these charming, hilarious adventures about an adorable buttered-toast-loving pig and the group of humorous, sharply-drawn characters around her.

No gimmicks, no space aliens or magic amulets or evil supervillains, just great, well-paced, laugh-out-loud stories in which everyone always gets their perfect comeuppance. In terms of series with great, funny short stories, we also love Ivy and Bean and the Frog… show more.

Mr. and Mrs. Watson have a pig named Mercy, whom they lovingly call their "porcine wonder". The Watsons are human, but thanks to Chris Van Dusen's illustrations, there's a perfect family resemblance. When Mercy hops into bed with Mr. and Mrs. Watson and the bed starts to fall through the floor, Mercy runs next door for help. The sisters who live there are Baby (definitely no babe), and crabby Eugenia (wait till you see her crabby face). And the Eugenia-Mercy chase is on! This book is madcap, sweet-natured fun.