Module 6: My Friend is Sad

Summary: Gerald the Elephant is sad, so his dear friend Piggie decides to cheer him up. She dons various costumes, but nothing seems to work. Eventually, Piggie finally presents herself to Gerald without a costume, trying to figure out why Gerald is so sad when he's seen all these wonderful characters.  Gerald moans, "But you were not there to see [them]!" Piggie learns that having friends around is more important than being entertained by costumes. She also realizes, in typical Mo Willems style, that Gerald needs new glasses.

Willems, M. (2007). My friend is sad. New York, NY: Hyperion.

My Impressions: I love the Elephant & Piggie books. Okay, I actually love pretty much anything Mo Willems does. Gerald and Piggie have a sweet, supporting relationship. There is little text on each page, and what is there is graphically designed to indicate emphasis, so it is a perfect book to help kids learn expressive reading. The sly asides to the audience are entertaining for kids as well as adults. Willems often breaks the fourth wall in his books, and the results are hysterical.

Reviews:

"Nevertheless, even inexperienced readers will not be busy long, whether or not they pause to chuckle at the dueling characters' changing facial expressions. Compared to Willems's more nuanced character studies, these episodes feel all too brief. Still, readers will likely clamor for more." - Publisher's Weekly


Today I will fly!; My friend is sad. (February 26, 2007). Publisher's Weekly. Retrieved September 29, 2011, from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4231-0295-3.

"When Elephant appears to be inconsolable, Pig pulls out all the stops to cheer him up–dressing like a cowboy, doing clown tricks, and acting like a robot. But when nearsighted Elephant confesses that he just wants to be with Pig, the two friends find that the solution was right there in front of Elephant the whole time." - School Library Journal 


My friend is sad. (March 26, 2008). School Library Journal. Retrieve September 29, 2011 from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6544806.html.

Uses in the Library: A storytime themed around friendship or emotions would be a great venue for this book.