Elephant and Piggie: Waiting is Not Easy! by Mo Willems

Elephant and Piggie: Waiting is Not Easy! by Mo Willems

Rating: 5 stars

We've loved Elephant and Piggie for a long, long time. I've written about them a few times before (most recently HERE and before that HERE). They are the best easy reader series that exists, and if you are working on reading with your kiddo, you need to check out every single one of them from the library. Really, you do.

But this book. Waiting Is Not Easy. This one take the cake.

This is the best!  The best book in a fantastic series! Do you REALIZE what this means?! This is one spectacular book!

Perhaps I've read it so many times that I am now beginning to talk like Gerald and Piggie? There could be worse things.

SO! The book!

Piggie has something to show Gerald. But he has to wait for it. And Gerald has a waiting problem. I know a waiting problem when I see one because I have serious waiting problems, too. Gerald and I (and my kids, like most kids) have serious deficiencies when it comes to patience. It's really a bummer that Target doesn't sell patience, really. It'd be so handy to have an extra six-pack of patience sitting around...

ANYWAY! The book!

So Gerald does his best to wait--which Piggie insists he must do, he has no choice, the surprise is not ready yet--and finally he does wait until the final few pages of the book, when the reader turns the page and together with Gerald we gasp in appreciation.

Gerald learns he has to wait some more.
(I do the same thing.)

It's a starry, starry night in Gerald and Piggie's world, and they both look up at it, in awe. They are both dumbstruck at the view.

And Gerald says, simply and quietly: "That was worth waiting for."

What a great book to put in the hands of our children! Geesh, what a great book to put in the hands of our friends and partners and siblings, too! In this world of now-now-NOW, where we want what we want yesterday, not months or years from now, it is even more important to teach kids that waiting is difficult and worthwhile.

Some things are worth waiting for.

Isn't that true?

A Big Guy Took My Ball! By Mo Willems

A Big Guy Took My Ball! By Mo Willems

Rating: 5 stars


Dear Mo Willems,

Here at our house, we love you.  We just LOVE you!  We love the way that you put together such silly little stories packed with great big lessons in a simple conversation between two funny friends.  There is no end to the delight we get from these Elephant and Piggie books!

Please don't stop writing them.  Not ever.

Please don't stop illustrating them.  Not ever.

They.  Are.  Perfection.

What?  Piggie? Melodramatic?  Nah...!

Love,
Lorelei & Ben & Kiefer's mom



P.S.  I should add that while some of the books are simply great but not out-of-this-world, A Big Guy Took My Ball! is in the out-of-this-world category.  Elephant tries to rescue a big ball that Piggie found from a Big Guy who swiped it.  He's determined to be her hero, to not let her down, but then he sees that the Big Guy is actually...REALLY BIG.  Even when compared to a pretty big elephant.  He's suddenly a lot less brave.  But then the Big Guy explains that it's his (little) ball and that no one will play with him because he's so big.  So they create a random, inclusive game that they all play happily ever after.

There really is no comparison to this great series of beginner reader books.  If you've got a child tripping along to reading by himself or herself, these books are going to be your best friends.  They are short and funny, they involve very few words, and you and your new reader can each read a "part" in the book.  Like I said--they are perfection!

Huff & Puff by Claudia Rueda

Huff & Puff: Can You Blow Down the Houses of the Three Little Pigs? by Claudia Rueda

Rating: 3.5 stars

Dear Great Falls librarians,

We just wanted to apologize to you.  We so enjoyed this silly take on The Three Little Pigs that we got the book a little messy.  See, we often read books during mealtimes, and Mommy didn't realize that this was an interactive books until a few pages into the book and a few bites into lunch.  She often lacks the ability to stop when a good time is being had, despite the fact that she should be the most mature one in the group.

Mommy didn't know that we, the readers, were to assume the role of the wolf.  Therefore, after each pig built his house, we--two boys and one Mommy--were to blow through the little hole in the book with all our might.  The author taunted us by challenging us to blow harder, and we rose to the occasion.  We blew with all our might and successfully crushed the first two houses, and got frustrated by the brick on the third.  We were happy to finally stop huffing when the pigs held up a cake with candles on it, ending our game in a sweet, yummy way rather than a frustrated way.

But, since we were eating dinner...um...Ben thinks he got some guacamole on page 3 and Kiefer spat out some partially chewed bits of quesadilla near the third pig on page 9.  We did our best to clean them up.

Next time we check this out, we'll be sure to eat and THEN read.  Sorry...!

Love,
Kate, Ben, and Kiefer

Tell the Truth, B.B. Wolf by Judy Sierra

 Tell the Truth, B.B. Wolf by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Jotto Seibold

Rating: 4 stars

When I was a kid, my dad always chose the bad guys as his favorite characters.  He'd root for Captain Hook and the Wicked Witch of the West.  He'd cheer for anyone dressed in black, anyone walking around sneakily, looking suspect.  Now, it is really amusing to watch him stick up for bad guys in front of my kids.  Conversations (mini-Platonic dialogues to my philosopher father) go something like this:

GRAND-Dad: That Captain Hook isn't such a bad guy!
Lorelei: No, he is, Grand-Dad.  He always tries to steal stuff and do bad things.
GRAND-Dad: So what?  Why can't I do bad things?
Lorelei: (thinking) Because you're supposed to make good choices!  And he makes bad ones.
GRAND-Dad: I like him.  And look at his cool hat, too.

One of his favorite villains is the big, bad wolf.  I remember him clearly telling me many times that the big, bad wolf "got a bad rap."  Yeah, all that huffing and puffing stuff was totally misunderstood, Dad...  But my Dad would be a fan of this book by the fantastic Judy Sierra. The big, bad wolf finally gets the spotlight!  "It's about time," my Dad would say.

"No one is falling for your story," cracked Humpty Dumpty.

In this quirky story, B.B. Wolf, who lives with all the other bad guys of childhood in Villain Villa, is invited to the library to tell the story of how he met the three little pigs.  He is no longer young and mean; he is a bespectacled and respectable old wolf.

Off he trots, and starts to tell the tale a little...differently.  He makes himself a huge hero, explaining that those huffs and puffs were, um, really sneezes and soft blows on a dandelion puff.  The houses just happened to be on the receiving end of those accidental air pockets.

In the audience sit the three little pigs, and they adamantly argue with ole B.B. Wolf.  "Tell the truth!" they call out.  After a few more feeble attempts at a good fib, B.B. Wolf can't take it anymore and begs their forgiveness.

"Well," said the first little pig, "I guess we could forgive you."
"It did happen a long time ago," said the second little pig.
"But your middle name is still Bad," added the third little pig.

But the sage wolf isn't content with the acceptance of his apology.  He goes home and tries to make it right.  He builds the three pigs a new home--a piggyback mansion.

I like this story because it reminds me of my funny dad, but also because B.B. Wolf "makes it right," which is something I try to instill in my little ones.  If Ben happens to shove Lorelei into a coffee table and she erupts into tears, he needs to apologize and "make it right" with a hug or offer to get her something to make her feel better.  I need to make sure they do this, because I'm not going to be able to see all their infractions, within my trio and beyond.  They need to have the empathy to know when they've hurt someone and to at least attempt to make it right.  I hope this skill lasts through adulthood...

But I really appreciate this book, it's a funny way to reinforce a lesson in our home.  Hope you like it, too!

Olympig! by Victoria Jamieson

 The Triumphant Story of an Underdog: Olympig! by Victoria Jamieson

Rating: 2.5 stars

I know, I know...the Olympics are completely over.  But they'll be back.

So, let me tell you a story about Boomer the Pig.  Boomer decides that he'll be in the Olympics, and he trains a little before his Olympic debut.  He competes in a wide variety of events--running, weight lifting, wrestling, vaulting, boxing, and hurdles, to name a few.

This pig does not know the term "specialization of labor."  Or of sports.

He stinks at all of them.  I mean, he's really bad.  And after losing horribly at each sport and having a chipper attitude, he finally loses it and throws an oinker of a tantrum.  And then he quits.

On your marks, get set, GO!

Shortly after quitting, an annoying journalist interviews his mom, expecting her to go on about her embarrassment and shame of her son.  Instead, she lauds him and says how proud she is of him for trying.

So Boomer un-quits and tries again.  One.  Last.  Event.  Gymnastics floor routine!

His comically glittery outfit and horribly spell-binding routine help him earn a spot near the bottom.  But his attitude remains positive.  "I realized something very important today!" he says.  "I realized today has been terrific practice for the Winter Olympics!"

I'm disappointed in this book about the Olympics, about which there are surprisingly few books.  The drawings are the highlight, but the story just leaves me unsatisfied.  I guess Jamieson wants kids to learn that a positive attitude is most important, and to appreciate the people (or pigs) that support you.  But I don't love how clueless Boomer is, how delusional he is about how his talents (or lack thereof) measure up against the rest of the competition.  It makes me think of all those kids out there who receive so much praise that they are shocked--shocked!--when they finally get honest (in their mind, negative) reviews.

I'm a huge fan of the Olympics, mostly because they are the hard-earned reward for individuals who work hard for many years.  This light-hearted approach to the Games rubs me the wrong way, but maybe I'm too competitive a person to appreciate a funny book about a pig who is trying really hard to be just okay.

Little Oink by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace

Little Oink by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace

Rating: 5 clean stars


If ever there was a book for me and my kids, this is it.  As a joke--the sort that holds some truth in it--we say you're only part of our family if you know how to make a mess.  (MAAAAAYBE I had a small problem with cleaning up when I was younger.  Perhaps your definition of cleaning up does not involve shoving all the crap on your floor under your bed or in your closet?  What, it's not?!?)  But we do our best to clean up before bedtime, pretending that all we've done all day is sit around, sipping tea with our fingers turned correctly...  We four know the truth: it'll happen again tomorrow.

He savored his days at school.

Just like the gem Little Hoot, Little Oink takes a childhood truth and turns it on its head.  In this case, a friendly little pig called Little Oink is required to make a mess before going outside to play.  His shoulders droop, his spirits sag, his snout turns downwards at the mere thought of his tidy room turning into a pigsty.  Rosenthal's witty writing shines:

"All my friends get to clean their rooms.  Why can't I?" asked Little Oink.
"If you want to grow up to be a respectable pig, you must learn how to make a proper mess," said Papa Pig.
"Mess up your room, put on some dirty clothes, and then you can go out to play," said Mama Pig.
"Do I have to?" Little Oink snorted.
"Yes, you have to," they retorted.
So off he went.
"When I grow up, I'm going to let my kids clean up their rooms as much as they want."

Such a clever little book with amazing illustrations.  I did have to hide my smile when Lorelei asked after dinner if they could have mess up time, just like Little Oink has in the book.  Ummm...no, we've been doing that all day.

Pretty Princess Pig by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple, illustrated by Sam Williams

Pretty Princess Pig by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple, illustrated by Sam Williams

Rating: 3.5 stars

Well, we know what sells to little girls--anything pink, anything with a princess, and anything that glitters.  Look at the cover of this and you've got all three.  Smart!  I guess I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but it's hard not to roll my eyes at such an obvious marketing choice.  I wasn't excited to read this, but...was pleasantly surprised.

Princess Pig decides to have a tea party for her friends, and does her best to get her house ready for her guests.  She does everything but makes a giant mess in the meantime, leaving both the house and herself a mess when her friends arrive.  Of course they don't care--they are, after all, her good friends who don't even see the mess.

Um...can I just say I've been there?  More than once?  Luckily my friends don't really care either.  They don't mind if my kitchen is messy (especially if the mess is from baking) or if I clean while I chit-chat with them.  Bless them!

A fine book, nothing over the top special but nothing deserving of my initial eye-rolling, either.  Little girls will love it, and as long as they clean up when their mothers ask them to clean up, what's the harm in the message that friends accept you regardless of your appearance?