Mo Willems

Gerald and Piggie were two very different people, despite their friendship. Ebullient Piggie was enthusiastic - in this case, for the idea of flying - while Gerald was more cautious... more skeptical. Piggie's determination to fly plays off quite humorously against Gerald's determined belief that she cannot. When she does, after a fashion, Gerald's conception of what is possible is changed. But does that mean he can fly too?

The release earlier this month of The Thank You Book, the show more twenty-fifth and final entry in Mo Willems' Elephant & Piggie series, has prompted me to finally embark upon a project I had long thought of undertaking. Namely: reading this entire series in order. I have a signed copy of Today I Will Fly!, obtained at a talk given by Mo Willems in Dublin while I was studying there, so this is a welcome starting point for me. I enjoyed Willems' humor here - the way he plays his two friends off against one another, how he captures the back-and-forth of two very different characters. His art ably captures the emotional pitch of each scene, with something as small as a change of eyebrow orientation communicating quite a bit about the state of elephant and pig. I've seen these books praised by reading teachers, and I can see why. The story is appealing, the language simple but engaging - ideal material for readers who are just beginning! show less

One of a growing number of Elephant and Piggie books - begun in 2007, with Today I Will Fly!, this series of early-readers from celebrated children's author and artist Mo Willems now includes over fifteen titles - I Love My New Toy! presents the simple story of two friends, and the quarrel that ensues when one of them breaks the other's new toy. Piggie, ecstatically excited about her new plaything, is eager to share it with Elephant, but dismayed and angry when he breaks it. Unwilling to show more accept his apologies, she throw a massive temper tantrum, until a passing squirrel discovers that the toy is not broken at all. Will Elephant still be willing to play, after Piggie's less than gracious behavior...?

One of our December selections, over in The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme for the month is "toys," I Love My Toy! is the first Elephant and Piggie book I have read, and I can see why they have been so successful. The text (as one might expect) is simple, with only a few words per page, but still manages to capture - together with the cartoon-like illustrations - the emotional lives of young children. Sweet without being saccharine, the story highlights the tempestuous ups and downs that preschoolers experience, and their frequent inability (as seen in Piggie's temper tantrum) to control their emotions. The conclusion, in which Willems sets up reader expectation that Elephant will get back at Piggie, and then takes a different direction, is very satisfying indeed! Highly recommended to all beginning readers! show less

A squirrel named Zoom has a dream to sleep under the stars but needs a little encouragement from his fellow squirrel friends. Unfortunately, while the friends are happy to oblige, their enthusiasm is just keeping Zoom awake.

This is a very entertaining and engrossing read. The "big story" about Zoom's desire to sleep under the stars had me chuckling aloud with the antics of the squirrels. After this part, the book continues with several other segments, including "acorn-y" jokes and facts show more about stars, squirrels, and sleep patterns. What a great way to get kids (and adults) to learn some new information. The book also tackles emotional learning with "emote-acorns," small illustrations of acorns with various facial expressions at the bottom of some pages during the "big story." There is a table of these at the front of the book labeling which emotion they represent. And, of course, being an early reader with relatively simple words during the "big story" makes this a good title for beginning readers. An adult can then help with reading aloud the backmatter chock-full of information. show less

I have slight reservations about this elephant and piggie book since it's "on insecurities"; Gerald and Snake are worried that Piggie and Brian Bat won't want to be their friends anymore since they are having so much fun with each other. Which is totally psychologically real for ten-year-olds, or even fourteen-year-olds--I can remember that deep desire to introduce my two friends in whom I was so emotionally invested to each other and have them have so much fun combined with the imperfectly show more sublimated dread that they would have too much fun--but this is a book for toddlers, man. show less