Let's Go for a Drive!

Gerald is a planner, so when he has the idea to go for a drive, he also thinks of everything they should bring to be prepared. Piggie supplies them with a map, sunglasses, umbrellas, and bags...all they are lacking is a car ("Do you have a car, Piggie?" "No. I am a pig. A pig with a car would be silly.") Gerald's plan is ruined, but Piggie saves the day by repurposing all their supplies to play "pirate." Good fun.

The usual madcap Piggie and Gerald zaniness with an ending that makes perfect sense when you get there. This ranks up there with some of my favorite Elephant and Piggie adventures.

Let's Go for a Drive by Mo Willems is the eighteenth Elephant and Piggie book. It's also one of my favorites. I know it seems like I say that about each and every one, but this time I really mean it.

Gerald and Piggie decide it's time to go for a drive. They're very thorough and go through all the items on their list for a successful drive.

But — the kicker is of course the most obvious thing — the car. Do they have one? Do they know how to drive? Maybe they should hire Cat the Cat as their chauffeur because the answer to the previous questions is no.

I had very mixed feelings about this book when I read it. I love Mo Willems' illustrations, and I this his writing is fun, but the problem is the dynamic between Elephant and Piggie. Elephant is a demanding control freak, and I felt really bad for Piggie the entire time I was reading. Elephant would yell and make him go grab stuff, and when he didn't have a car, Elephant was disappointed. It did end well with saying what a "good pal" Piggie was, but I was not a fan of the example that Elephant set throughout the rest of the book. Could have been better.

This is a silly book about a pig and an elephant planning to go for a drive. Of course neither of them have a car so all the planning was for nothing and they played pirate instead. This is a silly and fun book for very young kids maybe preschool and kindergarten. You could use this to teach kids the importance of planning, but also just for a silly brain break.

Gerald and Piggie fans will eat this one up.
Gerald the Elephant is in fine form, planning the drive that he and Piggie will take. And Piggie is a trouper-- as he throws out plans, she comes up with the map, the sunglasses, the umbrella, the suitcases. She's on a roll... until it's time to come up with the car.
But hey, if you can't go for a drive, there's always a game of pirates.
Mo Willems rocks.

Best buds Elephant and Piggie want to go for a drive today but they must to get ready first and gather all the things they will need. As they check things off the list, they realize they’re missing the most important thing. As anticipated, the award winning Mo Willems captures and entertains readers, young and old. Willems cleverly creates a humorous yet rich story with very limited text and incorporation of highly animated and expressive illustrations. The characters seem very much alive on the page and preliterate children can easily tell the story from the pictures alone. Early readers will be eager to read this amusing story captured in speech bubbles with short sentences that follow a repetitive nature.