Happy Pig Day!

Mo Willems is currently one of my favorite children's authors. His books are very imaginative and fun! They always bring a smile to my face. The series focuses on the friendship between Gerald the Elephant and Piggie. In this book it is, "Happy Pig Day!" and Gerald feels left out. Gerald notices that as an elephant he has a trunk, big ears, that he's gray. He compares himself to Piggie and finally concludes that he is not a pig. He says, "I am an elephant and I do not belong." Piggie lets him know that Happy Pig Day is not just for pigs, it's for anyone who loves pigs! Gerald is so happy that he can participate and join in the fun for Happy Pig Day. It seems that so many kids books these days focus on belonging, feeling left out, and show more how to get along in friendships. These social skills are important for the playground and life. This simple message of inclusion is one we can all use. Will we exclude people because they are different or allow them to join in too? As a classroom teacher, I will have to teach empathy, care for others, concern for others, awareness to not leave others out, and other friendship issues. This sweet book boils it down in a nutshell to include others. This book is the recipe for a good classroom environment. show less

I liked this book for two reasons. First, the illustrations enhance the story. Gerald the elephant and Piggie the pig are the main characters. Piggie is excited because it is "Pig Day." Gerald has no idea what Piggie is talking about, so Piggie explains to Gerald what "Pig Day" is all about. As Piggie goes on explaining "Pig Day," Gerald has no dialogue. The illustrations help portray what Gerald is thinking as Piggie is talking. For instance, when Piggie says it's the best day to eat pig food, Gerald has his tongue sticking out. This shows the reader that Gerald likes the idea of eating "pig food." Second, the book pushes readers to think about tough issues. After Piggie explains "Pig Day," all of his friends show up who are also pigs. show more Gerald feels left out and tells Piggie that he is an elephant and that he does not belong. Piggie tells Gerald that he is wrong, and it turns out that all of Piggie's friends were other animals dressed up as pigs. This makes the reader think about issues regarding differences in race, culture, religion, etc. This ties into the big idea which is, it doesn't matter who you are or what you look like. It is okay to celebrate Christmas if you are not Christian, and it is okay to celebrate "Pig Day" if you are not a pig. show less

Happy Pig Day! is a great read for beginning readers as the vocabulary is perfect for readers who are just learning. The book is about a elephant who is upset he is not a pig on pig day and wishes he could be a pig. The pig tells the elephant that he can be a part of big day regardless of his species. This book is a great book about inclusion and acceptance. The text bubbles are color coded for easy reading. The writing is one that not only can be read alone by a child but is fun to read as well. Through simple vocabulary a very complex lesson on inclusion is shown which is hard to do with limited vocabulary but Mo Willems does a great job.

Yeah, this is the madcap energy I want from Elephant and Piggie! It's a pig party, woo, we're almost in Go, Dog, Go territory here (always a good thing).

I'm a bit surprised Gerald was slow to catch on, but that's ok, sometimes we all feel a little left out, even defensive. And besides, w/out his confusion, we'd not have had the big reveal. Of course, now I want to celebrate Pig Day! If I had kids, we'd definitely find a blank spot on the calendar and add that on.

Piggie is very happy to celebrate Happy Pig Day. Gerald is sad because he thinks he cannot participate- he is an elephant not a pig. Then, Gerald discovers that Happy Pig Day is for "Anyone who loves Pigs!" Gerald is happy to celebrate with piggy and exclaim, "Oinky, Oinky, Oink!" (Happy Pig Day in Pig)

This is a cute book by Mo Williams. This would be an excellent book to use in an early childhood education setting as a read around during a unit on emotions, friendship, and culture. Celebrating traditions with cultures that are different than ours should be welcome.

I loved this book. It is sweet, engaging, and models good behavior without being preachy. I love how Gerald and Piggie always manage to solve their problems using words.

In very simple language and simple yet very emotionally expressive drawings, Willems rejoices in self-love (i.e. piggie love) and friendship. This book is a delightful way to introduce how fun it is to celebrate oneself—and also to make sure that others are not excluded from that celebration.