Hellobee

by: Mrs. Cowgirl

Aside from the Babysitters Club, never has a series captured my heart so much as the Elephant & Piggie books do! I’ve raved about them many times here at Hellobee, but Mrs. Bee and I thought that they deserved their own full post since they really are just the best!

Mo Willems’ Elephant & Piggie books follow best friends, Gerald and Piggie and all of their crazy antics. (Fun fact, I once read that Mo is often asked why Gerald has a real name and Piggie doesn’t…His answer is that Piggie does have a name, Piggie! And that Gerald’s full name is Elephant Gerald, after his favorite singer — get it?) Piggie is fun and carefree and Gerald tends to be serious and dramatic. The stories usually involve some incident that causes Gerald and Piggie to act in their very characteristic ways — Gerald flips out and usually yells about something and Piggie is rarely bothered and tries to help him feel better. You would think that this formula might get old, but each of the 22 titles in this series are charming and hilarious!

From a teaching standpoint, I love that the books help students understand and use knowledge of familiar characters across many stories. I also love that because all of the stories are written solely as dialogue between Gerald and Piggie (and the occasional guest star) using speech bubbles in their coordinating colors, the books really lend themselves to learning about and practicing fluency and reading with expression. They just beg to be acted out! In fact, I once had a student and his older sister invite me to their house to watch a play they created using several Elephant & Piggie stories — it was so sweet and one of my favorite teaching moments ever.

Clearly great minds think alike, because Mo himself recently turned several of the stories into the show, Elephant and Piggie: We Are In a Play!  It is currently playing in Chicago and will be returning to the Kennedy Center this fall! We were able to attend the premiere at the Kennedy Center in 2013 and it is an absolutely adorable and hilarious show perfect for children ages 3 and up.

I have read every book in the series and cannot pick a favorite. They are all funny and sweet and many teach important lessons to kids and grown-ups alike. Lil’ CB adores the books and they are often chosen off his bookshelf for storytime. I started reading these books with Lil’ CB when he was about 2, but he really started to enjoy them when he was 3 and his love for them still runs deep. And, I think they are appropriate for kids up to 7 or 8. My students are OBSESSED with the books and I’m not kidding when I say they hoard them. I once had to talk to a group of kids who kept hiding them so they could read them without their classmates finding them! If you haven’t read any of them, you must get your hands on them…I promise you will love them! And here they all are, in order of publication, earliest first:

There is a Bird on Your Head: The gem that started it all! It’s such a silly and strange premise, but hilarious and a great introduction to Gerald and Piggie!

I Am Invited to a Party!: Piggie is invited to her first party and Gerald helps her prepare in unexpected (and predictably funny) ways.

My Friend is Sad: This book always has me in stitches, especially the surprise ending! Such a sweet story about helping your friends feel better, too. Probably one of my top 3 favorites!

I Will Surprise My Friend!: Gerald and Piggie witness two squirrel buddies surprising each other and decide that it looks fun and to have a go at it…of course, it does not go as planned!

Today I Will Fly!: Piggie’s determination is to be quite admired in this book, and I love the nod to the old idiom, “When pigs fly!”

I Love My New Toy!: Here’s the first book where we see Piggie freak out…and both Gerald and Piggie learn an important lesson on saying sorry.

Are You Ready to Play Outside?: There’s another rare Piggie freak out moment in this story and it’s so sweet to see how Gerald comforts her and helps her think more flexibly.

Watch Me Throw the Ball!: Gerald learns an important lesson in this story…that perhaps it’s not so much about being the best, but about having fun!

Elephants Cannot Dance!: This one is especially fun to act out as Piggie tries to teach Gerald to dance and he can’t quite get it…

Pigs Make Me Sneeze!: In true Gerald fashion, he overreacts when he sneezes and guesses that he must be allergic to pigs. Of course, he’s not.

I Am Going!: Gerald has a mild panic attack when Piggie announces that she is going and is devastated at the thought of not being able to skip and play ping-pong while wearing silly hats with Piggie. As usual, his freak out is over nothing!

Can I Play, Too?: Another one of my top 3 favorites in the series. I love, love, love the message of  inclusion and the encouragement to find a way to play with someone that might be differently-abled than you.

We Are in a Book!: Gerald and Piggie have an existential moment when they realize they are in a book and are being read. It’s quite silly but might be a little more difficult for preschoolers to understand. This book is also the basis for the ending of the Elephant and Piggie musical!

I Broke My Trunk!: I read this story to my students to help them appreciate the power of story-telling and thinking about telling and writing personal narratives. It’s so outlandish and hilarious, too!

Should I Share My Ice Cream?: This story is written as a soliloquy where Gerald battles his inner demons as he contemplates whether he should share his ice cream with his best friend. As you might have guessed, things don’t go the way he plans and hilarity ensues.

Happy Pig Day!: Gerald feels threatened as Piggie celebrates Pig Day and with the help of his best friend, realizes that he is, indeed, her best friend, no matter what.

Listen to My Trumpet!: This is another one of my top 3 favorites — Gerald’s inner monologue as he listens to Piggie’s terrible trumpet playing is just priceless. Be prepared, though, you might need to warm up your vocal chords before you attempt to read all the trumpet noises!

Let’s Go for a Drive!: Gerald has great plans to go for drive with Piggie and he thinks he is super prepared…except for the most important detail. A great lesson on being flexible with your plans!

A Big Guy Took My Ball!: This story starts off like it is going to be one about bullying, but instead turns out to be one about acceptance, no matter how different others seem from you.

I’m a Frog!: Gerald cannot comprehend why Piggie is acting like a frog and is introduced to the wonderful world of pretend.

My New Friend is So Fun!: Gerald and Snake feel worried when their respective best friends, Piggie and Brian Bat, start playing together. In the end, they realize they had nothing to worry about at all! Note: while the Elephant and Piggie books can really be read in any order, you might want to read Can I Play, Too? before this one as Snake is first introduced in that story.

Waiting is Not Easy!: Let’s face it, waiting often just plain sticks. (As a waiting adoptive momma, I feel like I can really say that with authority!) Piggie helps Gerald learn an important lesson in this story…that even though it’s hard to wait, some things are really worth waiting for.

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New Elephant and Piggie books are released every few months and I am always eager to get my hands on them, because I know even before reading them that they will be great…I hope this series lives on forever! Long live Gerald and Piggie!