Dad: This is going to be a very different review. A package I ordered just arrived, and we are recording the the unveiling in real-time. What could it be? (Opening...) Ta-da!Isaac (age 10): "I Love My New Toy" and the other one is "I Will Surprise My Friend."
Gracie (age 8): ...by Mo Willems. I love Elephant and Piggie!
Dad: Which is your favorite book in the series that we've already read?
Isaac: I like "Bird on Your Head!"Gracie: Oh yeah, "There Is a Bird on Your Head" - that's my favorite.
Lily (age 5): ...that's the one that goes: "there's a bird on your head."
Dad: So which of these new ones should we read first?
Isaac: This is our second Double Bookie Woogie!
Lily: Start with "I Love My New Toy."
Isaac: That is a very weird toy. It looks like a weird alien greeny-bluey thingie. Hey - where's the pigeon? There's a pigeon in every book....
reading of "I Love My New Toy" begins...
....reading of "I Love My New Toy" ends.
reading of "I Will Surprise My Friend" begins...
...reading of "I Will Surprise My Friend" ends.
Gracie: That was HILARIOUS! "I will save you, Piggie!" "LUNCHTIME!" That's my new favorite!
Dad: Even more than "Bird on Your Head"?
Gracie: YES!
Lily: That's my new favorite too!
Isaac: It's funny!
Gracie: No, it's hilarious! "I will save you, Piggie!" "LUNCHTIME!"
Dad: Who's your favorite character? Gerald or Piggie?
Gracie: Piggie!
Isaac: I like piggie.
Lily: I like piggie!
Dad: I like Gerald. You guys all like Piggie?
Gracie: Piggie is the winner!
Dad: Why do think that is? Do you think Gerald is more like the grownup and Piggie is more like the kid?
Gracie: Like in "Today I Will Fly" Gerald says, "Today you will not fly. You will not fly tomorrow. You will never fly!"
Dad: You think that sounds like a parent?
Gracie: Well, it's very, very serious. Piggie is dramatic and she's funny like me.
Isaac: The pig is a she?
Gracie: Yes!
Dad: Both of these books had lots of emotions...
Lily: Piggie was embarrassed because she did some bad things - she was yelling at Gerald. Another time they were both surprised.
Gracie: Angry! Sad. Worried that Gerald wouldn't be friends anymore...
Isaac: Once Piggie was shocked/sad/mad all combined into a thing where her eyes are little dots.
Lily: Piggie felt hungry.
Isaac: When she's mad, the guy draws this black tornado thing on top of her head. I never knew how to do that until now - I realized he just takes the side of the pencil and pushes down hard into a tornado shape...
Dad: I think I've seen smoke come out of Gracie's head before.
Gracie: You could tell the character's emotions by their funny faces.
Isaac: And you could tell by their ninja moves!
Gracie: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Dad: What do you mean by ninja moves?
Isaac: I'll show you... (flipping through the book)
Dad: What? There are actual ninja moves in there? Where?
Isaac: That picture!
Gracie and Isaac reading together: "I will save you!" "LUNCH-
TIME!"
(Hysterical laughter by all)
Dad: I bet you guys are going to be quoting that all the time now aren't you...
Piggie and Elephant, by Lily
lots of new toys! by Gracie
the squirrel strikes again, by Isaac
7 comments:
Amazing artwork! All so full of colour and jump.
I discovered these books at our elementary school's library and they nearly cost me my volunteering job when I was caught reading instead of shelving!
Love the new artwork. The Z Kids have a future in illustration.
BTW, I gave my daughter a copy of "Arnie the Doughnut" based upon your recommendation and it's her new favorite! Thanks!
Hi ElizT - Thanks!
And thanks for the feedback Tara! It's great to hear that these reviews really are encouraging people to hook up with the books we love!
Z-Dad
What inspiration! Our preschool class LOVES Elephant and Piggie too! It's so fun to read your kids' reactions and see their art : )
Oh! I picked Elephant and Piggie for our readertotz recommend for older siblings this month. Those two are my fav right now!
Your review is awesome! My heart goes to Gerald. Isn't it funny Piggie doesn't have another name?
Your kids are so smart! (Probably because you teach them then encourage them to express themselves. Way to go, Dad!)
I love Elephant and Piggie, too. My nephew and I like to each pick a character and read their lines like a play.
Great reviews! Our family is always looking for more great children's books (even the adults who don't have kids enjoy reading them!) I now have a link to your blog on my blog because I think it's such a great resource and example. Thanks again!
We recently took every Elephant and Piggie book out of the library and our favorite by far is "There is a Bird on Your Head." My five year-old has never giggled so much during a book read in her entire life...and she giggles MORE with every reading!
And I'm also happy to report that our toddler is the proud new owner of her very own Knuffle Bunny. (Well, it was supposed to be MINE! ALL MINE!) We're just trying to decide whether to call him "KAH-nuffle" or "nuffle."
And can I recommend a book to you. One of our favorites is "The Louds Move In" by Carolyn Crimi. Please say one day you'll do a "Tara Pick."
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