Have you ever read a book and immediately been struck by how wonderful it is? You want to tell everyone about it and read it again. And again. As an adult, I have read thousands of books including fiction, nonfiction, professional development, and of course my favorite — children’s books! The first moment I read Mo Willems’s first Elephant & Piggie book, I knew it was a gem. It was simple, fun to read, had a kid-friendly sense of humor, and made great connections to kids. In my mind, Willems was the new Dr. Seuss for many reasons:
- He is silly
- His books are character driven
- He uses art to make his characters expressive
- His books beg the reader to participate in the storytelling
- He focuses on issues that students (and adults) grapple with.
As the writer of over 40 books, Mo Willems offers plenty of titles to choose from. But the big draw for me, as a teacher, are the many wonderful and beloved characters Willems has created — every one of my students connects with at least one of them! This is why we are doing an author study on this amazing author!
The Pigeon book series just might be my students’ favorite of the Willems’s collection! They love how Pigeon looks directly at them, pleading for their sympathy and help. In Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, the author puts the children (readers) in charge, right at the beginning of the story. It’s almost as if the characters in the story are talking to you! It’s really fun when the kids discover this text feature, and let me tell you — they always do!
Elephant & Piggie books have been an absolute favorite series in my second-grade class, they adore these characters. Elephant (Gerald) and Piggie are best friends even though they are very different characters. Gerald is a worrier, cautious, and anxious. Piggie is joyful, imaginative, and kind. Social situations such as patience, inclusion, problem-solving, and being kind are just a few of the topics that Willems covers through these characters. The books are short and funny in a touching and charming way. For a teacher, they are the perfect book to use to teach about social interactions, inference, and as a jumping off point for discussions about character and friendship.
Another favorite series of students is Knuffle Bunny. All children have a special something, and losing it would be devastating. When Trixie lost Knuffle Bunny at the laundromat, my students had so much empathy for how she was feeling. Text that children can relate and connect to have a natural tendency to draw them right in — and this book does just that. Cartoon character drawings set against black and white photographs of New York City have a such a unique quality and lend themselves perfectly to discussions of setting.
The author crafts in Willems’s books are just begging to be noticed. The ones my kiddos pay close attention to are motion lines, speech bubbles, and words throughout the story that are written in all capital letters. The students caught on quickly to changing voice levels when they came across words written in all capital letters. The use of speech bubbles in this collection has also helped to deepen my students’ understanding of character. They are always paying such close attention to what character is doing the speaking.
I am always searching for new ways to engage my students in reading and writing. Willems has a wonderful understanding of kids, and his books actively engage my students as we read. Willems’s books allow teaching craft and structure to be taken up a notch or two!
