This is the story about Piggie and Gerald and their friendship. The two are so excited to play outside but Piggie gets very upset when it starts to rain. Piggie yells, "I DO NOT LIKE RAIN". Gerald an elephant and Piggie's good friend holds his ear up to protect Piggie from the rain. They notice two little worms enjoying the rain and they decide to follow in their footsteps. Once they start enjoying the rain it goes away and they are again miserable.

Gerald and Piggie are super adorable. The illustrations are super simple yet very adorable. There is not much background in the illustrations, the focus is the two characters. The writing of the characters is so timeless and fun. Piggie yells quite a bit, which makes for a fun read-aloud. A great set of characters to follow on other adventures. ( )

Gerald and Piggie are hysterical in Are You Ready to Play Outside? I think any child can relate to Piggie's ever-changing emotions about the rain. This a great, very relatable book. ( )

a story about a pig and an elephant who want to play out but have to make the best out of the weather. ( )

This book won the "Theodor Seuss Geisel Award" 2009/2010. I love Mo Willem's books and I highly recommend them for any primary children. The illustrations are very simple, but the facial expressions on the characters are simply fabulous. You can just look at the pictures and the book is absolutely hilarious. I really like to read Willem's books to my ESL Kindergarten classes because he uses very simple humour and doesn't have too much going on in each page. ( )

Booklist Review:

Gerald the elephant and his friend Piggie are outdoors and ready to play when a drop of rain falls "PLINK!" on Piggie's head. Watching her high-spirited mood dive precipitously through annoyance toward despair, Gerald extends an ear to shelter her. Soon, though, two ecstatic worms cavorting in the rain inspire them to find happiness in wet-weather play. The characters quickly shifting moods provide plenty of laughs, as well as food for thought, in this amiable entry in the Elephant and Piggie beginning-reader series. Willems again combines simplicity and wit to create a child-pleasing text that works beautifully with the cartoon-style illustrations. -- Phelan, Carolyn (Reviewed 11-15-2008) (Booklist, vol 105, number 6, p51)

School Library Journal Review:

In a refreshing reversal of their usual roles, the often-despondent Gerald proves to be a valuable friend to exuberant Piggie when her own naturally sunny disposition fails her. Fretful about the sudden rain that threatens to ruin an afternoon of running, skipping, and jumping, Piggie declares emphatically that she is "not a happy pig." Poor Gerald patiently weathers the rain and her brief tantrum and, as readers might expect, the pair soon make the most of the situation. Alive with movement and feeling, the illustrations tell the story, setting the tone and adding depth to the simple text. The words themselves are manageable for young readers, and these endearing and distinctly developed characters have great child appeal. With a cameo appearance by the Pigeon on the final endpaper, this is a winning addition to the author's canon.—Neala Arnold, St. Francis Elementary School, MN --Neala Arnold (Reviewed December 1, 2008) (School Library Journal, vol 54, issue 12, p106)

from NoveList