Sunday, October 20, 2013

New Mo Willems!

That Is Not A Good Idea. Mo Willems. 2013. HarperCollins. 48 pages. [Source: Library]

That is NOT a Good Idea is a funny new picture book from Mo Willems. Sometimes I merely "love" Mo Willems. Other times, well, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE his work. I really loved That Is NOT A Good Idea. It is so different from his Elephant and Piggie series, and so different from his Pigeon books too.

A fox and a goose meet in Mo Willem's latest. The plot unfolds like a silent movie, with the dialogue occurring separate from the illustration (action). For example, there is a spread showing them seeing each other for the first time. The next page reveals:
"What luck!"
"Dinner!"
The story seems predictable, but is it? The story is also constantly being interrupted by a handful of young baby geese. They have a LOT to say about what is going on in the unfolding story. This story begs to be read aloud again and again and again.

I would definitely recommend this one!

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 10 out of 10

I'm A Frog. (An Elephant and Piggie Book) Mo Willems. 2013. Hyperion. 58 pages. [Source: Library]

Ribbit!
?
Ribbit!
Piggie?
Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit! 
What are you doing, Piggie?
I'm a frog.

Gerald and Piggie are back for another adventure in Mo Willem's latest early reader, I'm A Frog. In this super-fun adventure, Gerald learns about pretending. If you love Elephant and Piggie, this one will not disappoint. Piggie is still fabulously fun, and Gerald is still oh-so-wonderful! There are dozens of things to love about the series, about individual books in the series. But one of my favorite things is the expression, the emotion, to be found in each and every illustration. Do you have a favorite from I'm A Frog? I think mine may be Gerald's ongoing anxiety attack ending with I DO NOT WANT TO BE A FROG.

Definitely recommended. I love and adore (all but one) the books in this series!

© 2013 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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