When a big guy takes a ball Piggie found, she appeals to her much bigger friend Gerald for redress. Normally timid Gerald, stung by the injustice, is happy to mount up and ride to the rescue, but he gets more than he bargained for when the big guy turns out to be a whale, literally, who dwarfs the quickly unemboldened Gerald. Fortunately, Gerald and Piggie pool their creative talents to make room for everyone, and harmony is restored. Willems has once again found the sweet spot where humor and situational familiarity meet cognitive capacity; here he introduces perspective through a very familiar playground experience. Introducing comparatives through illustration, font size, and the introduction of the er word ending, he carves out both physical and moral space in the negotiation of the way size matters. The ball and Gerald are big to Piggie, but not to the ball's owner; being big seems to hold all the advantages to our heroes, while being small has more allure for the lonely whale. The ability to see through the eyes of someone who thinks differently than you is an essential developmental leap that's crucial for empathy, and Willems takes it even one step further in creating a game that requires the advantages of both big guys and small guys for its success. The pictures will keep 'em laughing, and the concepts will keep 'em learning, so we say, please, Mr. Willems, keep 'em coming. KC—BCCB
Gerald the elephant and Piggie return with another playground psychodrama, this one with a twist. Piggie just loved the big ball she just found-"it was so fun!"-but the fun was short-lived, as the titular "big guy came-and-and-and- / HE TOOK MY BALL!" Piggie's distress is so great Gerald is literally bowled over. "That is not right!" he declares. "What makes those big guys think they are so big?!" "Their size?" suggests Piggie. Gerald stalks off the page to give the big guy what-for, but the big guy is "very BIG." In fact, the big guy is a land-going whale, who first thanks Piggie for finding his "little ball" and then laments that no one will play with him because of his extreme size: "LITTLE GUYS HAVE ALL THE FUN." (The whale speaks in all-uppercase letters, though the font changes with his mood; the previous sentence is printed in tiny, all-capped type.) This morality play in false assumptions and relativity unfurls with Willems' customary command of visual pacing; gags are spaced just right to keep the pages turning and readers giggling. His deft exploitation of comic-book conventions sets speech balloons to overlapping and appropriately varying in size. Nineteen books and five Geisel medals or honors along, Elephant and Piggie are still delivering funny, emotionally perceptive stories for just-emerging readers. As the big guy says: "BIG FUN!" (Early reader. 5-8)—Kirkus
It's possible that Willems' flagship Elephant & Piggie series might go on forever, and it's also possible that everyone would be okay with that. In this pleasing go-round, Piggie is aflutter after a traumatic incident. After Piggie found a "big ball," a "big guy came" (cue teary-eyed stammering) "and-and-and-HE TOOK MY BALL!" This doesn't sit right with Gerald, who is soon shaking his gray fist in indignance. He stomps off to confront the thief, only to find that, well, "He is very BIG." (Picture the word BIG taking up half the page.) It is a blue whale that towers over our dynamic duo-pretty terrifying stuff until the whale gives readers a lesson on size: it's all relative. If we're quibbling, there's some standing in place going on here as Gerald hems and haws over not getting back the big ball (or "little ball" as its known to the whale). But, as always, Willems' staging of his characters and text across the white background is a master class in economy. Further classes forthcoming? Count on it. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Is it time yet to add a second Elephant & Piggie shelf in your library? - Daniel Kraus—Booklist
PreS-Gr 1 Once again Willems observes truths about human behavior through the eyes of Gerald, an elephant, and Piggie. The premise this time is that Piggie's recently acquired ball has been snatched by some unknown creature, one so big that Piggie begs Gerald to intervene. But Gerald's perceived power and genuine desire to help his smaller friend cannot provide him with sufficient courage once he sees that he'll have to confront an enormous whale. Outward appearance is rarely a true indicator of inner feelings, though, and the same reality is reflected in the whale, who turns out to be a gentle giant who is remarkably polite. Size should never be a factor in determining friendship, and Willems's two pals are happy to have a new playmate. The story engages readers with delightfully familiar cartoon illustrations and invites them to follow it independently by reading the speech bubbles. This title is a wonderful addition to the series; it's particularly useful for discussions of inside and outside traits, as well as the tricky topic of threesomes. Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT—SLJ
Best friends Gerald and Piggie lose a ball and gain a friend in this adventure in the "Elephant & Piggie" series for very young viewers and beginning readers. Big Gerald is always elephant grey, while small Piggie is a dusty rose; speech balloons match their speakers in paler shades. An excited Piggie starts by running to her hero Gerald with the news that someone BIG has stolen her ball. Geralds's big, too, and outraged that someone would take advantage of little Piggie. But, what to do when the bad guy turns out to be a giant blue whale? Willems plays it for humor with Gerald looking sheepish (if an elephant can be sheepish) and Piggie suspecting he has not retrieved the ball. With giant type in a huge balloon, the whale turns the friends upside down with his "Excuse Me! " Surprisingly, this whale is extraordinarily polite and really upset that no one will play with such a huge creature (to him, the red and yellow ball is tiny). When Gerald and Piggie ask the whale to play "Whale Ball" with them, the new friends invent a game that takes advantage of each one's assets. Simple! Here we have, in one short tale using only short words: indignation at a wrong, intimidation by someone different, compassion for an outsider, and cooperation to create a happy outcome. It certainly beats Dick and Jane , for both the youngest listeners and confident new readers. Geisel Medal-winner, Willems' impulsive cartoon-style friends have delighted kids and parents since 2007. So I'm a Frog! will appear soon, rounding the series to twenty. And do not forget to check the back endpapers for a glimpse of round-eyed Pigeon! Reviewer: Barbara L. Talcroft
Children's Literature - Barbara L. Talcroft
PreS-Gr 1—Once again Willems observes truths about human behavior through the eyes of Gerald, an elephant, and Piggie. The premise this time is that Piggie's recently acquired ball has been snatched by some unknown creature, one so big that Piggie begs Gerald to intervene. But Gerald's perceived power and genuine desire to help his smaller friend cannot provide him with sufficient courage once he sees that he'll have to confront an enormous whale. Outward appearance is rarely a true indicator of inner feelings, though, and the same reality is reflected in the whale, who turns out to be a gentle giant who is remarkably polite. Size should never be a factor in determining friendship, and Willems's two pals are happy to have a new playmate. The story engages readers with delightfully familiar cartoon illustrations and invites them to follow it independently by reading the speech bubbles. This title is a wonderful addition to the series; it's particularly useful for discussions of inside and outside traits, as well as the tricky topic of threesomes.—Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT
Gerald the elephant and Piggie return with another playground psychodrama, this one with a twist. Piggie just loved the big ball she just found--"it was so fun!"--but the fun was short-lived, as the titular "big guy came--and--and--and-- / HE TOOK MY BALL!" Piggie's distress is so great Gerald is literally bowled over. "That is not right!" he declares. "What makes those big guys think they are so big?!" "Their size?" suggests Piggie. Gerald stalks off the page to give the big guy what-for, but…the big guy is "very BIG ." In fact, the big guy is a land-going whale, who first thanks Piggie for finding his "little ball" and then laments that no one will play with him because of his extreme size: "LITTLE GUYS HAVE ALL THE FUN." (The whale speaks in all-uppercase letters, though the font changes with his mood; the previous sentence is printed in tiny, all-capped type.) This morality play in false assumptions and relativity unfurls with Willems' customary command of visual pacing; gags are spaced just right to keep the pages turning and readers giggling. His deft exploitation of comic-book conventions sets speech balloons to overlapping and appropriately varying in size. Nineteen books and five Geisel medals or honors along, Elephant and Piggie are still delivering funny, emotionally perceptive stories for just-emerging readers. As the big guy says: "BIG FUN!" (Early reader. 5-8)
