| Title | : | We Are in a Book! (Elephant Piggie, #13) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1423133080 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781423133087 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 57 |
| Publication | : | First published September 14, 2010 |
| Awards | : | Theodor Seuss Geisel Award (2011), Buckeye Children's Book Award K-2 (2012), California Young Readers Medal Primary (2013), Goodreads Choice Award Picture Book (2010) |
Gerald and Piggie are best friends.
In We Are in a Book! Gerald and Piggie discover the joy of being read. But what will happen when the book ends?
Using vocabulary perfect for beginning readers (and vetted by an early-learning specialist), Mo Willems has crafted a mind-bending story that is even more interactive than previous Elephant & Piggie adventures. Fans of the Geisel Award-winning duo won't be able to put this book down--literally!
We Are in a Book! (Elephant Piggie, #13) Reviews
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Due to the recent Corona virus (for those of you in the future where this has all died out, it was a strange time where most of us were confined to our homes and had to make shady barters for toilet paper from people who terrifyingly reassured us of its quality and how it had never been used), I've been spending a lot more time just reading to my daughter. Of all the books we have, her favorites are easily the Elephant and Piggie books.
The books are simple. Elephant (named Gerald) and Piggie (named... well, Piggie) are friends. Each book involves a rather complex idea (for children at least) explained in a simple and easy way to digest. She likes the silly stories and that they're easy to do ridiculous voices with. I like watching her reaction to the voices and how I notice that she actually does learn some of these complex ideas.
This book is about postmodernism.
No, no, I'm not joking.
The plot is that Gerald notices that someone is watching them. Piggie discovers that it is a reader. They then decide to have fun making the reader say out loud what they want them to. Then Gerald has an existential crisis when he realizes the book is about to end, pleads with the reader to keep reading and tries to convince you that he has much more to give you if you continue.
That... that's honestly amazing to me. It's silly, actually has some genuinely funny lines, and manages to pack in some pretty complex ideas for such a simple little book. This one is not my daughter's favorite in the series (that probably goes to
Should I Share My Ice Cream?), but this one is easily mine.
When comparing it to the other children's books I read, yes I am unashamedly giving it a full 5/5 stars. -
Eleanor: Dad I want to give it five stars.
Dad: So you understand how this whole, "reviewing thing" works now, huh?
Gwennie (Pointing to the cover): This is a pig, and this is an elephant. Do you want eat this - putting a toy plate against my mouth.
Eleanor: Tell me my favorite part.
Dad: I don't know what your favorite part is. It's your favorite part...
Eleanor: Say, 'what's your favorite part.'
Dad: Ok guys, what's your favorite part?
Eleanor: My favorite part is when they said, "Banana!" (muttering... and the pig was very yummy.).
Dad: What'd you say? And the pig was very yummy?
Eleanor: That was just my fingers talking.
Dad: But you didn't eat the pig.
Eleanor: No, no. I was talking about my fingers were reading a book.
Dad: Gwennie, what was your favorite part?
Gwennie: I don't know... I don't know my favorite part... uhhhhmmmm... my favorite part was about, when they said, "We are in a book!" And also when they said, "He's a reader!" And also, my also favorite part was about they were swinging on a swing... that was my favorite part.
Dad: Did they swing on a swing in this book?
G: Yeah! Yes they did. Yes they did.
D: I think I missed that part.
G: Well they didn't. But my OTHER favorite part was when they... uhhh... I don't know. I've got to go. MOMMY!!!! (Liz just came upstairs.)
Eleanor: My other favorite part was when they said, bigafisnoose pig.
D: When did they say that?
E: In the book, and they ran out the door, down the street, passed the prairie, past every state, and past Kansas, and past Mexico and past Hawaii and past China, past England and got to France where her mommy and daddy were and she had an ouchie on her knee. And her daddy said, "are you ok?" And Piggy was all alone in her house...
D: Hold on hold on holdonholdonholdon... What book was this in?
E: Actually they didn't...
D: Who didn't?
E: Gerald and Piggie didn't. Did you type that in there?
D: Well why did you say it if it wasn't in the book?
E: Well, I saw that happen.
D: Where did you see it happen? In a different book?
E: Uh huh.
D: What book.
E: I don't know...
D: Ok... welp, I guess that means this review's over. -
Alright ... this is going to get awfully heavy for a children's book.
Taken as a children's book 'We are in a Book' is successful on all counts. The vocabulary is repeated without tedium while still managing to be expressed in context. The artwork is charming, the characters pleasantly quirky without being overt, and all in all the word bubble dynamic make it easy for a child to identify tone and conflict.
So, mechanically, this is a very well written children's book.
Now to the overall plot ... Gerald and Piggie are seen relaxing when one realizes that they are, in fact, being watched... by a reader. Yes, the book is completely meta. The two explore the power they have over the reader by making the reader say specific words. This also acts as a tutorial on how to read Mo Willems typical work.
Then it gets ... AWESOME. Gerald finally catches wind that the book will end! ENDS?! THE BOOK ENDS!? While he is exploring the horror and helplessness of his own ceasing-to-be Piggie attempts to comfort him. The worrisome nature of death is apparent in the elephant's expression, and the pig's stoicism and light-hearted approach is the foil to this. The two characters literally have a masked discussion about how 'all books must end.'
whoa.
After Piggie peeks ahead a few pages (not unlike the most powerful of soothsayers) she devises a way in which Gerald and her can continue their existence... they need to be read again.
The reader, unable to decline the pleading request, feels compelled to read the book again from the beginning ... only to find that that alarm of Gerald has not eased and the same solution has been reached! It is a Sisyphean endeavor! You must read the book endlessly for ALL TIME TO PREVENT THE END OF GERALD AND PIGGIE. Unlike the Buddhist wheel, they do not grow or diminish or reincarnate in any way different than their current iteration, leaving the reader in an inescapable causality loop!
How badass is that?
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Everyone wants their fifteen minutes of fame, even fictitious characters. When Gerald and Piggie realise that they have been cast as stars to lead this book, they discover the ins and outs of being characters that the reader must follow. From movement, speech, and even as guides through the pages, Gerald and Piggie take the reader on quite the adventure of self-exploration. East sentences and cute themes head up this book, which will have the young reader wanting to read it over and over (as both Gerald and Piggie desire). Neo loved it and I am sure we’ll return to it soon!
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And now I surely know where the minions got their fancy.
This one was the best of the lot. Laughed my guts out! -
[Book #27 for my grad school Children's Lit class]
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a reader is reading us!
Piggie and Gerald, the two bestest friends realise that they are watched.
Is it a monster?
Is it someone they know?
NO!
It is you!
It is the reader who is watching them and is reading what they say inside the word bubbles.
So, they decide to play a trick on YOU. They will make YOU say a word. And not just any word. They will make YOU say a funny word.
BANANA
Did you say it loudly? Did you think about it? Did you laugh?
Gerald and Piggy laughed. Because they tricked you!
And I can guarantee that all the children 4-7 years old will laugh out loud when you read them the story out loud.
Remember: BANANA
A book from the creator of "Don't let the Pigeon drive the bus" and all the wonderful Pigeon books. Piggy and Elephant is another series that we adore in our home. -
This book is so freaking funny! If you love "fictional characters" you will love the Elephant and the Pig, are fun, adorable, cute and i love their humor changes! This isn't a master work but, be honest, as a kid you will love it and as an adult too.
And another thing, I will be as excited as they are if was me the one that is in the book :D
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This review is for all the Elephant and Piggie books.
You know how, when you’re an adult, you stop reading picture books? Unless you have kids…but that’s different. You aren’t reading them for you. Well, I have a friend who’s never had this happen to her. She still loves to read picture books. And she has instilled in me the same love.
So, when I say I love the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems, I don’t mean, I remember loving them. I mean, I just discovered them a few months ago and I think they are complete and utter genius. They are funny, entertaining, cute, funny, intelligent, and funny. And they are just good reads. The series includes:
* Pigs Make Me Sneeze!
* There is a Bird on Your Head!
* Can I Play Too?
* Elephants Cannot Dance!
* Today I Will Fly!
* I Am Going!
* I Am Invited to a Party!
* I Broke My Trunk!
* I Will Surprise My Friend!
* Are You Ready to Play Outside?
* My Friend is Sad
* Watch Me Throw the Ball!
* I Love My New Toy!
* We Are In a Book!
The books chronicle the adventures of two best friends, Gerald the elephant and Piggie the pig. I feel I should tell you now that Piggie is a girl. I was surprised when we saw her in a dress and then in one book they refer to her as “she.” It was very strange after all this time thinking she was a he.
Anyways, they have strange adventures and mishaps, like being invited to a party and not knowing what to wear. Or trying to play outside when the weather isn’t cooperating. Or realizing that they cannot spend every minute of every day together. Piggie is adventurous and always ready for a snack. Gerald is reserved and worrisome. But through all their adventures they are always good friends.
Even if you just go to a library, take ten minutes and read a couple of the books, I implore you to. These really exemplify the intelligence and humour that children’s books can contain. They remind me of why I started reading in the first place, as a young child. You feel like you know Gerald and Piggie. You feel like you are on their crazy adventures with them. And you just the adventures to keep on going.
I really recommend anything Mo Willems has ever written, but the Elephant and Piggie books are my absolute favourite.
Reviewed on
WhatchYAreading on November 15, 2010. -
Great book!
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I have been trying to teach myself Spanish using Duolingo and it recently occurred to me that perhaps I should try reading books written in Spanish to practice my reading skills. I would consider myself an advanced beginner, so I thought that children's books (picture books? early readers? chapter books?) might be the place to start. I went to my library today to browse and came across several libros de elefante y cerdita and knew that would be the place to start. I am not yet ready to write reviews in Spanish (unless they are two sentences long, lol!) but I figured I would slowly make my way through some Spanish children's picture books, and eventually, I can branch out into longer children's books like Roald Dahl. I'm hoping that perhaps in a year, I can read something like Harry Potter! Gotta start somewhere, right?
Así que, un libro de elefantes y cerdos es el lugar perfecto para comenzar mi viaje en libros escritos en español. -
What a cute book!
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So, reading this book for the Children's Lit. course I'm teaching was my first introduction to Mo Willems' books. I love this story because it's so smart.
First of all, on the first page (not the title page, but the first actual numbered page of the book), we get Piggie looking at the reader and winking. Then, the story moves forward with Gerald realizing that someone is watching him and Piggie. Piggie seems to have anxiety over the issue as well, but she assures Gerald that it's okay. They're just being read. The person looking at them is a reader, and they are in a book! They make the reader do things like read aloud and say the word "banana" because it's funny, and they roll over laughing. But then, Gerald's anxiety returns as he realizes that the book will end. Piggie looks ahead and tells him the last page number, and Gerald starts counting down. But then, Piggie comes up with an idea and whispers to Gerald. In the end, the two ask us, the readers, to read the book again, so they can continue their story.
I love this concept. It's metafiction for children. It's ironic and sarcastic and funny. But, as my students noted, it also teaches us a lot about friendship. The first page indicates that Piggie already knows about the reader, but she doesn't make Gerald feel bad when he worries. She pretends not to know either, and she comes up with solutions to resolve his anxiety. She stays calm while he panics, and this reveals a great friendship dynamic of balance and kindness, along with patience.
My students and I talked about Gerald's anxiety as well. If children reading this book alone or with parents have felt like Gerald, they have a character to whom they can relate. If they know an anxious sibling or classmate, they can learn tolerance and understanding from Piggie. They can learn, as my students pointed out, not to bully others who have a difficult time learning or dealing with emotions. Also, the book is great as a learning tool for new readers. There are simple dialogue and illustrations. There are repetition and humor to attract young children.
I also really like Willems. In a NYT article we read, the author discusses Willems' dealings with failure as a child and how it was important for him never to give up, no matter what. He worked really hard to achieve success in his field. He fought against people who didn't think his books had enough meaning and impact for children readers. This concept of failure comes into play in this book because Gerald doesn't want the book to end--he wants to keep enjoying it, not to disappear. He even says, "I have more to give!" when he realizes the book is ending. The book deals with endings of all kinds, really, but also with the human desire to be heard, to have a voice, and not to feel lost in the shuffle because other things are more important or because one event, phase, or era has to end.
This book seriously impresses me. I could talk even more about the metafiction and its intertextuality with postmodern novels and even more about the characters and their friendship (Willems said that, since they're an elephant and a pig, it's "basically a friendship between an African and a European"), and Willems himself--his conception of children as complex beings, capable of complex emotions and understanding subtleties--but this review is long enough already!
tl;dnr: I highly recommend this book to children of all ages! -
This is a fun book in the Elephant and Piggie series of books by Mo Willems. It's not my favorite in the series, but it is silly and we love read these books together, taking turns reading the dialogues. Our oldest loves to play the part of Elephant and I usually play the part of Piggie. And of course, we just had to read this one a couple of times. We've borrowed this a couple of times and now I just listen while our girls read it aloud.
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Elephant and Piggie are great. The illustrations in their books are simple, but effective in conveying body language for younger readers. A lot can be read into the illustrations.
I like this books because it helps to teach about some of the concepts of print. It introduces page numbers and speech bubbles. I also like the way they encourage readers to re-read the story.
Such a positive message bout reading... I love it! -
So cute!
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this book is so cute!!! i recommend this book to everyone! lol even if you're like 30 you should read it because its honestly so cute and i loved it. and trust me i don't say that to a lot of books.
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My sister brought this book home. It has been a very long time since I read a picture book. I read it three times in a row. This was funny and endearing.
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Piggie y Elephant rompiendo la cuarta pared.
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برای این جلد باید بعدا جدا و مفصل یه ریویو بنویسم. یه داستان به ظاهر ساده و سرگرمکننده، اما بسیار عمیق
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Once upon a time, there were two sisters who stumbled across a picture book and fell in love with its story. The book was about two friends like them, and as the two sisters read and re-read the story, they found themselves memorizing the lines, each picking their own character to be. Back and forth they would act out the story making even the most boring chore around the house fun.
Alas, one day they lost the book, and for years they lived with only its memory, still smiling at the plot and tears of laughter it had induced. Still laughing and saying, “Banana—SO funny!” Then one day years later one of the sisters was recommended the author as a great picture book author, and the two sisters happily were able to once again find their dear, old favorite book and even more like it, outlining more adventures by the beloved Piggie and Gerald. And so their book begins again as once again the two sisters listen to Piggie and Gerald’s plea to read their story once more. -
Ma ei tea, kuidas Mo Willems seda suudab.
Mulle ei meeldi selline joonistusstiil. Jutt on peaaegu olemat. Ometi tahaks ma hoida neid kahte tegelast forever oma padja all soojas, et keegi neile eales liiga ei saaks teha.
Raamatus on ca 57 lehekülge ja sealjuures ca 1-2 lauset lehepeal ja needki paarisõnalised. Ehk juttu on väga vähe. Ometi suudab Willems nii vähese ressursiga panna tegelastesse kiinduma, ajada naerma ning panna kartma ja nii nii palju õpetada. Ma tahaks seda suruda kätte nii 5aastastele kui 70aastastele, tahaks et igaüks võtaks selle 5 minutit, et tunda lihtsat rõõmu. -
The kids loved this one. It's cute. It is rare to find a book that is written at a level they can read on their own which doesn't strike them as boring and childish. This book reminded me a lot of one I read as a kid, a Sesame Street book in which Grover thought there was a monster at the end of the book. The link is that the characters in the book directly address or acknowledge the reader. It is a gimmick that never gets old! :)
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- I love all of the elephant & piggie books because they have thoughtful lessons that anyone can benefit from, aha moments that have the potential to radically alter your point of view - in this one elephant & piggie know that they are being read and how they interact with the reader is simply marvelous, insightful and clever. - as always their facial expressions are so exact and funny you will see yourself in them.
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Because I love the Pigeon series, I checked out some the Elephant & Piggie books as well. Aimed at a slightly younger audience, the Elephant series is more, er, benign. Occasionally, it comes off a bit preachy ("We are all going to be good, okay?" ^_^ tone), but this one is fun. It works as a smart joke, and reminds me of
The Monster at the End of this Book. -
This a great series of books. This is one that engages the reader as a part of the story and really adds yet another element of fun to what already is a fun little book.
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Gerald's existential crises rival my own.
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This little book was delightful. I LOLed.
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Okay, so Elephant and Piggie has gone totally meta. (BTW - I'm spoiling the entire book here.)
Now, this is the series that has taught countless children to read. The books are genuinely funny, which is hard when you're writing easy readers! And it's ALSO the series I've used to teach my own beloved nieces the meaning of the fourth wall. Piggie manages to break it at least once per book, usually when Gerald flips out over something or other, but usually she does it in the normal way - she looks at us and rolls her eyes, or she speaks in an aside "He had better know parties...." or something like that.
This goes beyond that. The book starts with a wink and a whispered "Thank you!" right at the reader. Why a thank you? Well, let's wait and see....
All of a sudden, Gerald realizes - he's being watched! Aaaaaand... we're off! Piggie goes right up and stares at the reader. She leans directly ON the fourth wall. She hangs from her speech balloon! She makes the reader say a word. OMG HOW FUNNY SHE MADE US SAY BANANA! IT IS THE FUNNIEST THING EVER!!!!!
And then... it's over. Oh no. The book is going to END. It's time for our regularly scheduled freak-out by special elephant, GERALD! He has so much more to give! So much more to say! So many more bananas! And the pages just keep flying by while he panics!
Luckily Piggie comes up with the solution - we can read it again! So they ask, and we obviously comply, and THIS, my dear nieces, is why Piggie says thank you at the start of the book. (Now my head hurts a little.)
It's actually really funny... and yet, I kinda don't like that it's a Piggie and Elephant book. I think I would've preferred it as a different book with different characters. I love the concept, and I love Piggie and Elephant with undying affection - but the combination irks me just a teensy bit. How can I read the other books that have already been written now that they know they're in a book?
Still, it's a good addition to your bookcase. Well, of course it is. Piggie and Elephant books are ALWAYS a good addition to your bookcase!
