Happy Pig Day

Happy Pig Day. An Elephant & Piggie Book. Mo Willems. 2011. Hyperion. 64 pages.

Gerald!
Gerald!
I am so happy!
Today is the best day of the year!

Today is free ice cream day?

No. Today is...
HAPPY PIG DAY!

I am a big, big, big fan of Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie series. I just love and adore these two characters. The series as a whole is practically perfect in every way. They're just that good, that charming, that FUNNY! With very few words, Mo Willems gives CHARACTER (life) to these two friends: Gerald, the elephant, and Piggie, the Pig.

Piggie is super-super excited about celebrating Pig Day. Pig Day is the best day to have a pig party, eat pig food, sing pig songs, dance pig dances, etc. But Gerald isn't quite as excited about Pig Day. He thinks that you have to be a pig to celebrate Pig Day. He thinks that Piggie is going to have all this fun without him. He feels sad and left out. Can Piggie show him what Pig Day is really all about?

So what did I think of Happy Pig Day? Well, I liked it. I really liked it. I wouldn't say that it is my favorite or best. I mean it's hard to top Should I Share My Ice Cream and We Are In A Book. (Those two are my favorites, which ones are yours?)

I Will Surprise My Friend
Can I Play Too?
Elephants Cannot Dance
I Am Going
Pigs Make Me Sneeze
Watch Me Throw The Ball
Are You Ready to Play Outside
I Love My New Toy
I Am Invited to A Party
My Friend is Sad
Today I Will Fly
There Is A Bird On Your Head
We Are In A Book
I Broke My Trunk!
Should I Share My Ice Cream?

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10


© 2011 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Should I Share My Ice Cream?

Should I Share My Ice Cream: An Elephant and Piggie Book. Mo Willems. 2011. Hyperion. 64 pages.

Ice cream!
Get your cold ice cream for a hot day!
Oh, boy! Ice cream!
One ice cream, please.
Here you go!
Oh, boy! Oh, boy!
I love ice cream!

Should I Share My Ice Cream? is the newest book in the Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems. Did I love it? Three guesses, first two don't count! Of course, I loved it. I just LOVE AND ADORE Gerald, the elephant, and Piggie, the pig. And I love Mo Willems, their creator. (Has he ever written a bad book?!)

In this adventure, Gerald buys an ice cream cone. He loves, loves, loves ice cream. But just as he's about to take his first lick--or his first bite--he stops for a moment. Should he share his ice cream with Piggie? Of course, he doesn't know if Piggie even likes that flavor of ice cream. And she's not even around to share it with him. He could eat it without her even knowing. But just because he could get away with it doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. He imagines a sad, sad Piggie who could only be cheered up by an ice cream cone.

Gerald's dilemma could have gone on much longer. But. He looks down and notices that his ice cream cone has melted. Now Gerald is sad, sad, sad.
If only there was a way Piggie could cheer him up...

The book is cute and fun and playful. I loved everything about it. Especially how expressive it is. My favorite, favorite illustration would have to be on page 26 when Gerald decides emphatically that he will eat the ice cream. Have you read it? Do you have a favorite Gerald expression?

Other books in the series include:

I Will Surprise My Friend
Can I Play Too?
Elephants Cannot Dance
I Am Going
Pigs Make Me Sneeze
Watch Me Throw The Ball
Are You Ready to Play Outside
I Love My New Toy
I Am Invited to A Party
My Friend is Sad
Today I Will Fly
There Is A Bird On Your Head
We Are In A Book
I Broke My Trunk!

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 10 out of 10

© 2011 Becky Laney of Young Readers

I Broke My Trunk!

I Broke My Trunk! (Elephant and Piggie) Mo Willems. 2011. Hyperion. 64 pages.

I have not seen Gerald today. Why?
Gerald! What happened to your trunk?
I broke my trunk.
How did you break your trunk?
It is a long crazy story.
Tell it! Tell it!

I Broke My Trunk is the newest book in the Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems. Gerald, the elephant, does have a long and crazy story to share with his best friend, Piggie. The story of how he broke his trunk. Did he break it when he lifted his friend Hippo? No! Did he break it when he lifted Hippo's big sister? No! Did he break it when he lifted his friend Rhino? No! How about lifting a piano, two hippos, and a rhino? No! Then how did Gerald break his trunk?! Will Piggie believe this crazy story? She may just end up with a long and crazy story of her own to share!

I liked this one. It was very funny. It was very playful. I liked the dialogue, the language. For example, I loved this exchange:

Gerald: Then, I had an idea! I wanted to lift Hippo onto my trunk!
Piggie: Why?
Gerald: Because!
Piggie: Okay.

It just felt right. Everything about these books feel right. I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Gerald and Piggie. I love their friendship. I love the way they think and act. These books are just too much fun!!!

Other books in the series include:

I Will Surprise My Friend
Can I Play Too?
Elephants Cannot Dance
I Am Going
Pigs Make Me Sneeze
Watch Me Throw The Ball
Are You Ready to Play Outside
I Love My New Toy
I Am Invited to A Party
My Friend is Sad
Today I Will Fly
There Is A Bird On Your Head
We Are In A Book

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

© 2011 Becky Laney of Young Readers

I Will Surprise My Friend

I Will Surprise My Friend: An Elephant and Piggie Book. Mo Willems. 2008. Hyperion. 64 pages.

Look!
Hee hee hee!
What are you doing?
I am going to surprise my friend! Shhh... Here she comes! Boo!
Ha ha ha!
Ha ha ha!
Hee hee hee!
Hee hee hee!

Inspired by two playful squirrels, Gerald and Piggie decide to "surprise" each other by the big rock. But things don't go quite they way they planned! Oh, they end up surprised. But not in the way they thought they would be. When Gerald can't find Piggie, and Piggie can't find Gerald, Gerald begins imagining the worst. He must save Piggie! Meanwhile Piggie is a little worried about Gerald. But. Thoughts of lunch interrupt!

I Will Surprise My Friend is a funny book. It is part of the Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems. I would definitely recommend this series!!!

Other books in the series:

Can I Play Too?
Elephants Cannot Dance
I Am Going
Pigs Make Me Sneeze
Watch Me Throw The Ball
Are You Ready to Play Outside
I Love My New Toy
I Am Invited to A Party
My Friend is Sad
Today I Will Fly
There Is A Bird On Your Head
We Are In A Book

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

We Are in a Book

We Are In A Book! Elephant and Piggie Series. Mo Willems. 2010. September 2010. Hyperion. 64 pages.

Piggie!
Yes, Gerald?
I think someone is looking at us.
Someone is looking at us!
Who is looking at us? A monster?
No. It is...a reader!
A reader is reading us!
How is a reader reading us?
The reader is reading these word bubbles!

I didn't just love this book. I love, love, loved it. I really, really LOVED it. As in, it getting instant favorite-and-best status. It is part of Mo Willems' Elephant & Piggie series. (Yes, I do LOVE that series. I love some more than others. Some I just like. A few that I'm really super-excited about.) It stars two best friends: Gerald, the elephant, and Piggie, the pig. Now that these two are self aware--aware that they are the stars of the book--what will these two do? What fun is to be had? And what will Gerald do when he realizes that the book has to end because all books end? Can Piggie find a solution?

This book is funny. It is awesomely funny!!! (I wouldn't say I'm laughing quite as much as Gerald. But. It's close.)

Other books in the series:

Can I Play Too?
Elephants Cannot Dance
I Am Going
Pigs Make Me Sneeze
Watch Me Throw The Ball
Are You Ready to Play Outside
I Love My New Toy
I Am Invited to A Party
My Friend is Sad
Today I Will Fly
There Is A Bird On Your Head


© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Can I Play Too?

Can and I Play Too? Mo Willems. 2010. Hyperion. 57 pages.

Piggie! Let's play catch!
Yes! I love playing catch with friends!
I will throw.
I will catch.
Excuse me! Can I play too?

Piggie and Gerald are getting ready to play catch when they're interrupted by a snake who wants to play catch too. Can these two friends find a way to make that work? You know, since snakes do not have arms to catch or throw with?!

This one is funny. I love it when these two best friends try to solve problems. Some of their solutions are quite different. I won't say it's the best of the series. (I have my own favorites.) But I did like it.

I would definitely recommend this series! These books are great fun.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Elephants Cannot Dance

Elephants Cannot Dance! (An Elephant & Piggie Book). Mo Willems. 2009. Hyperion. 64 pages.

Gerald!
!
Let's Dance!
I can teach you! I am teaching all my friends.
I would love to learn how to dance.

Piggie would love, love, love to teach her best friend Gerald how to dance. She is teaching all her friends, you know, and Gerald is her best, best friend. Gerald knows this won't be easy. For he knows that elephants cannot dance. But for Piggie, his best friend, he's willing to try. And try. And try. And try. Will Piggie's perseverance pay off? Will Gerald learn to dance? Or will Piggie have to accept the truth that elephants cannot dance?

While Elephants Cannot Dance is not the funniest in the series, I did enjoy it!

I love, love, love this series!!!

For fun, here's a couple of YouTube videos featuring Mo Willems:





© Becky Laney of Young Readers

I Am Going!

I Am Going! (An Elephant & Piggie Book). Mo Willems. 2010. Hyperion. 64 pages.

This is a good day.

I love Gerald and Piggie. I do. I find Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie series to be one of the best, one of the funniest series ever. In I Am Going, Gerald, the Elephant, becomes distraught when he learns that Piggie, his best friend, is going. Where is she going? He doesn't know. He doesn't really care where. He just knows that she absolutely, positively can't leave him. Why if she left him, who would he "skip and play ping-pong in a silly hat with?!?!" Can Gerald convince Piggie to stay?

Read and see for yourself!

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Pigs Make Me Sneeze

Pigs Make Me Sneeze! An Elephant & Piggie Book. Mo Willems. 2009. Hyperion. 64 pages.

Gerald!
What do you want to do today?

In this sad adventure, Piggie learns that Gerald may not get to do what he wants today. Her friend, the oh-so-faithful, oh-so-fun elephant, has the sniffles, the sneezes. Gerald is almost convinced that their friendship is doomed. You see, he thinks that he may be allergic to pigs! Oh no! Can this friendship be saved? Will a trip to the doctor (a cat) cure him of his new allergy? Or is this the end of one of the greatest friendships?

It's never fun to be sick, to have a cold. But maybe reading a stack of Elephant and Piggie books will cheer up anyone feeling under the weather. Have you read them all yet?

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Watch Me Throw the Ball

Watch Me Throw the Ball. (An Elephant and Piggie Book). Mo Willems. 2009. Hyperion. 64 pages.

La, la, la! A ball!
You found my ball!
This is your ball?
Yes. I threw it from way over there!

When Piggie finds a ball, she just wants to have a little fun. Little does she know that she's just one throw away from being Super-Pig. Did Piggie really throw the ball all around the world? What do you think? Can Gerald let down his friend nice and easy? Read and see in this Elephant and Piggie adventure!

I liked this one. It's fun to see the message that you don't have to be the best in order to have fun--lots of fun!

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Are You Ready to Play Outside?

Are You Ready to Play Outside? (An Elephant and Piggie Book) Mo Willems. 2008. Hyperion. 64 pages.

Piggie!
Gerald!
Are you ready to play outside?
Yes! Yes! Yes!

These two best friends may be ready to play outside--ready to do everything--but the weather has something else in mind! Oh no! What are two friends to do when all their big plans are ruined by the rain? Can these two find a way to still have fun no matter what the weather?

This is a fun story. I loved the spirit of this one. How Gerald and Piggie learn that you can almost always have fun if you make the best of each opportunity. I am just loving this series. Who do you like best? Gerald or Piggie?

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

I Love My New Toy

I Love My New Toy (An Elephant & Piggie Book) Mo Willems. 2008. Hyperion. 64 pages.

Hi, Piggie! What are you doing?
LOOK AT MY NEW TOY!!!
I love my new toy.

Gerald and Piggie are friends. Best friends. In this book, Piggie has a new toy. When Gerald accidentally breaks Piggie's toy, many tears are shed! But is the case as serious, as dramatic as Piggie would have you believe? What can these two learn about playing together? What can these two learn about friendship?

The Elephant & Piggie books are great. There are plenty in the series--which is a very good thing!

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

I Am Invited To A Party!

I Am Invited To A Party. (An Elephant and Piggie Book). Mo Willems. 2007. Hyperion. 64 pages.

Gerald! Look! Look! I am invited to a party!
Cool.
It is cool. Will you go with me? I have never been to a party.

It's party time. When Piggie gets invited to a party, Gerald gets in on the fun. Gerald, the elephant, thinks he knows everything about parties. And since Piggie has never been to a party, she thinks she needs all the help she can get! What will these two friends do to prepare for this one-of-a-kind party? Find out for yourself in I Am Invited To A Party.

Just when I think these two can't get any sillier, I read another adventure. I just love these two friends. Both Gerald and Piggie are fun characters. Both have their silly sides! Do you have a favorite Elephant and Piggie book?

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

My Friend Is Sad

My Friend is Sad. (An Elephant & Piggie Book) Mo Willems. 2007. Hyperion. 64 pages.

Ohhh...
My friend is sad.
I will make him happy!

One day Gerald, the elephant, is sad. It is up to his good friend, his best friend, Piggie, to cheer him up again. (Or is it?!) As Piggie tries...and tries...and tries...to make her friend happy, Gerald seems to get even sadder. What's wrong? Why aren't cowboys, clowns, and robots enough to make her friend happy again? Can Piggie find a solution that works? Can Gerald and Piggie be happy together again?

This Elephant and Piggie book explores emotions and friendship. I really liked this one. As I've come to like all the Elephant and Piggie books I've read so far. I definitely recommend this series by Mo Willems.


© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Today I Will Fly

Today I Will Fly (An Elephant & Piggie Book). Mo Willems. 2007. Hyperion. 64 pages.

Today I will fly!
No. You will not fly today.
You will not fly tomorrow.
You will not fly next week.
YOU WILL NEVER FLY!

One day Piggie announces to her friend Gerald (the Elephant) that she is going to fly. She is going to fly today. Gerald is just as sure that Piggie will NOT be able to fly--today or any other day--as Piggie is that she will. Which friend will be proven right? Can Piggie fly? Read and see for yourself in this fun Elephant & Piggie book.

I just love Mo Willems! I do! He's introduced some great characters and Elephant and Piggie are no exceptions! Definitely recommended!


© Becky Laney of Young Readers

There Is A Bird On Your Head!

There Is A Bird On Your Head! (An Elephant & Piggie Book) By Mo Willems. 2007. Hyperion. 64 pages.

Piggie! Is something on my head?
Yes.
There is a bird on your head.
There is a bird on my head?

Gerald is not a happy elephant when he feels something land on his head. What could it be? What could it possibly be? Luckily, Gerald isn't alone as this drama unfolds. He has a friend, a good friend, Piggie. There is much silliness involved in this ongoing drama. It's fun. It's cute. I liked it!

Fortunately, this is just one of many books in the Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems.


© Becky Laney of Young Readers