The Thank You Book (Elephant and Piggie Series)

by Mo Willems, Mo Willems (Illustrator)

Overview

Gerald is careful. Piggie is not.
Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can.
Gerald worries so that Piggie does not have to.

Gerald and Piggie are best friends.

In The Thank You Book!, Piggie wants to thank EVERYONE. But Gerald is worried Piggie will forget someone . . . someone important.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423178286
Publisher:	Disney Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/03/2016
Series:	Elephant and Piggie Series
Pages:	64
Sales rank:	3,684
Product dimensions:	6.60(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	330L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Mo Willems (www.pigeonpresents.com), a number one New York Times best-selling author and illustrator, has been awarded a Caldecott Honor on three occasions, for Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity. The celebrated Elephant & Piggie early-reader series has been awarded the Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal on two occasions (for There Is a Bird on Your Head! and Are You Ready to Play Outside?) as well as garnering five Geisel Honors (for We Are in a Book!, I Broke My Trunk!, Let's Go for a Drive!, A Big Guy Took My Ball! and Waiting Is Not Easy!).

See above.

Editorial Reviews

5/3/2016
Say it ain't so, Mo! Only one more Elephant and Piggie book? THE SERIES ENDS?! The Thank You Book may finally be here, but they have more to give! More words! More jokes! More “bananas”! Best friends Piggie and Elephant Gerald have an ideal relationship, displaying fierce loyalty, trust, caring, and generosity. They encourage and support one another through many kid-familiar scenarios and always come to a satisfying, usually humorous, conclusion, with much silliness along the way. Here's the definitive list of the 10 funniest Elephant & Piggie books so far. Read More

B&N Reads

Ending a long-running, beloved series with some kind of unexpected creative bang while not ticking off your loyal fans is hard—just ask Jerry Seinfeld or David Chase…The Thank You Book not only sticks to what made the series great, it wraps its fans in a grateful, valedictory embrace…By the end…there is something that feels almost sacramental going on, as if all the thanking is marking not just the end of the series but some timeless rite of passage, the initiation into reading, which after all depends on support from so many.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

★ 06/01/2016
PreS-Gr 2—A sweet and pitch-perfect swan song to a wildly popular series. Reflecting on her good fortune and many blessings, Piggie decides to thank everyone who is important to her. Gerald thinks this is a bad idea, in that she runs the very big risk of forgetting someone. Piggie will not be dissuaded and embarks on her "Thank-o-rama!" She gives a shout-out to the Squirrels, Snake, the Pigeon, and other characters from the series, including Mouse, Birdies, Rhino, Hippo, Hippo's Big Sister, Barky Dog, Pelican, Bears, and Worms. Piggie turns into a thanking machine. Whale, Ice Cream Penguin, Doctor Cat, and Brian Rat all make appearances. Last, but hardly least, she remembers to acknowledge her partner in crime, Gerald, but there's still one important group that the effusive Piggie neglects to mention—their readers! Willems's brilliant, minimalist cartoon illustrations are as expressive and charming as ever. VERDICT The 25th installment in the winning series is a must-have for every collection and will lead kids to go back and revisit the earlier titles again and again. Thanks, Mo Willems, you've helped a whole generation learn to be proficient readers with Gerald and Piggie. Hugs all around!—Luann Toth, School Library Journal

School Library Journal

2016-05-10
Piggie is "one lucky pig," and she's determined to make sure she thanks "everyone who is important to" her in this, the final Elephant & Piggie book.Gerald is sure his friend will forget someone—"someone important"—but Piggie assures him, "It will be a THANK-O-RAMA!" Piggie proceeds to thank the Squirrels for their great ideas, Snake for playing ball, and the Pigeon "for never giving up." Piggie thanks and thanks: "I am a thanking machine!" She thanks character after character, even the Flies ("Any time, dude!"), as Gerald continues to interject that she'll forget "someone VERY important." Finally Piggie runs out of thanks, and by this time Gerald is steamed. "I goofed," Piggie says in itty-bitty type, before lavishing thanks on Gerald. But that's not whom Piggie forgot to thank! A classic Willems tantrum later, Gerald reveals the "someone important": "Our reader." Of course. "We could not be ‘us' without you," says Gerald, earnestly looking out from the page, and Piggie chimes in, "You are the best!" As Elephant & Piggie books go, this isn't one of the strongest, but it is a validating valediction to fans of the two characters, who have won Willems two Geisel Medals and five Honors. Yes, Gerald and Piggie have ushered countless readers into literacy, but as they rightly note, reading is a collaborative act. Thank you, Gerald and Piggie. We'll miss you. (Early reader. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews