Small Readers: I will take a nap! by Mo Willems

Ah, Elephant and Piggie. It will be a sad day indeed when there isn't a new one to introduce to the kids at my pre-summer visits. Last year's offering, I will take a nap! won the approval of teachers and kids alike, all the way up to the fifth graders who raised the roof with their pig snores.

Elephant is feeling a bit cranky and decides it is time for a nap. Piggie thinks a nap sounds good too, but she doesn't quite grasp the technique....until suddenly she does. And then there is lots of loud snoring. And turnips. And floating. And...what??

Willems has created another masterful easy reader that's the perfect blend of art and story. It's got funny in several levels - I had to turn it back a few times to figure out the subtle visual cues for when the story shifts to a dreamscape.

Verdict: Elephant and Piggie should be a mainstay of any easy reader collection, along with Cat in the Hat, Frog and Toad, Fly Guy, and other classics. Everyone will have their favorites (mine are Watch me Throw the Ball and Can I Play Too?) and I predict that this one will end up on several read it again, absolute favorite lists.

ISBN: 9781484716304; Published 2015 by Hyperion; Purchased for the library