The Thank You Book

Every once in a while, book characters become so beloved that they feel more like friends than characters in a book. For many of us, Gerald and Piggie from Mo Willem’s Elephant & Piggie series are some of our best friends. The last book in the series, The Thank You Book, has just arrived at the library and we are reading it with mixed emotions. As always, the humor is spot-on as Gerald and Piggie thank all of their friends and, finally, the reader for the great times they’ve had. Even though it’s the last in the series, all of them can be read over and over again. Come into the library and ask us which one is our favorite!

Guest post by Sarah H. 

That Is NOT a Good Idea!

 

Well, he’s done it again, folks! Mo Willems, three-time Caldecott honoree and author of the Pigeon, Knuffle Bunny, and Elephant & Piggie series, has written another gem. Like his other books, this one is a must-read!

That Is NOT a Good Idea! is illustrated like an old silent movie and tells the story of a hungry fox, a plump goose, and some nervous baby geese. After spotting the goose, and clearly getting excited about the possibility of gobbling her up for dinner, the fox says: “Excuse me. Would you care to go for a stroll?” The blushing goose replies: “Um…sure!” Hearing this exchange, the baby geese warn: “That is NOT a good idea!”

And so the story continues, with each of the fox’s questions sounding a little more ominous than the last, each of the goose’s responses sounding progressively more excited, and each of the baby geese’s warnings sounding increasingly serious. Finally, just when you’re sure that you know exactly what’s about to happen, the book takes a sudden and hilarious turn. I won't reveal the surprise ending, but I will say that, in my opinion, That Is NOT a Good Idea! is one of Willems’ BEST ideas yet!

I can make you say "banana."

But you'll have to read this book to find out how...

The best way to help your children become familiar with books is to READ to them.  Yes, it really is that easy!  You may hear someone refer to this as "print awareness," and it simply means your child is starting to grasp that you are reading the black squiggly lines on the page instead of just describing the pictures.

Granted, any book will do, but why not practice with a hilarious option that makes the reader part of the story?  Mo Willems' most recent We Are in a Book! does just that and has the added bonus of two familiar favorites, Gerald the elephant and Piggie the pig.

If you love Mo Willems as much as we do, join us for a family storytime featuring some our favorites on Saturday, January 29th at the Centerville Library. It is appropriately called More Mo (I bet you can get the storyteller to say BANANAS)!