Waiting Is Not Easy! An Elephant and Piggie Book

Children love these books at bedtime

Just be warned once you buy your child one of these books, you will eventually have to get the whole set! Not sure what it is about these books, but my daughter is obsessed. I work in education, so I can say that it's very common. Once one of my students reads one book, they cannot wait to read the rest of the series! These are simple easy books with simple graphics. My daughter is a 2nd grader who reads at about a 5-6 level, and she absolutely loves these books. She reads them over and over, and it takes her about 2 minutes to read one full book. Each of these books has a subliminal life lesson as well. They focus on feelings, without making feelings an awkward subject. Highly recommend them, even if your child is an advanced reader...they will still love these. I initally felt like they were a waste of money because they're so easy for my daugter to read, but after I saw how much she genuinely loves them, they were worth every penny. She especially loves reading them to her little cousins and friends. They have a lot of expression (yelling, excited, ALL CAP WORDS, sighing, sadness, etc.) So they help my daughter practice her expressional reading where she reads without trying to speed read or sounding like a monotone robot! :)

Mo Willems is an absolute genius at conveying feelings and ideas in minimal text and drawings. If you are new to his books, there is much more than a first glance would suggest. The personalities of his characters come through loud and clear. Read slowly, so your child listener can linger over the pictures. Text and words work together to tell the story. Gerald (Elephant) and Piggie are good friends, and their adventures show caring and “wisdom” .... in each book there are touches of silliness and fun surprises. All delightful from a young child’s perspective. In this particular book, the friends share joy and wonder in simple things. These books work well for one-on-one sharing, group story time, and independent reading for beginners. Good for toddlers through age 7. (Older children and aspiring authors will enjoy the technique).

Another brilliant release for our E&P collection. Waiting is really. freaking. hard. I know because I have a 3.5-year old, and anyone & everyone who has ever been around this age group knows that just about the most difficult thing in their little lives, besides an empty sippy cup, is waiting. Waiting for everything by the way- waiting for the school bus to pick up big brother, waiting for breakfast to magically appear AND be something they want in that very moment (Eggo waffles with peanut butter on one and ketchup on the other?!) waiting until it's 9:25 and we can leave for the library for story time, waiting for lunch, waiting for someone else to finish using the bathroom (HURRY UP please!), waiting for nap time/resting time to be over, waiting for big brother's bus to come home, waiting for daddy to get off work and come home.... You'd think this kid never did anything by the amount of time he spends waiting for it all to happen. This book is PRECIOUS. I LOVE Gerald. I love everything about Gerald and Piggie. What's great to me is that they have such different and very dynamic personalities that are easy to relate to. So when Gerald has to wait....and wait....and WAIT for Piggie's surprise, we get to watch the excitement, the dismay, the desperation.... all of it that leads up to learning that some things really are worth waiting for. Also, with this particular surprise, there's really nothing that can be done to speed up the process of waiting so Gerald has to tough it out and surprise him! Also, and this is minor... but with Christmas coming up, I'm hoping my kids can see just how much keeping a surprise a SECRET can matter when all the waiting is finally done. Maybe this year, my kids won't give a play-by-play to everyone AS we are passing out the gifts to be unwrapped. Surprises are special, and it's hard to wait to give a surprise, as much as it's hard to wait to receive one. Love love love love!! Don't wait for it though- and choose the fast shipping. This is one of my favorite E&P books now!

I honestly don't know who enjoys Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie books the most: my 2 year old daughter, my 4 1/2 year old son, or me. This book was actually backordered when I looked for it (yes, really), but it was worth the wait. My son has actually referred to this book when told that he has to wait for something that can't be rushed (spoiler alert: Piggie and Gerald- the elephant- wait all day for the stars to come out at night). I don't usually "do" voices while reading to my kids, but these books are so conducive to a high pitched pig and a low pitched elephant that you can't NOT do them. All three of us laugh every time we read them. My son had this book memorized after two or three readings, and now loves to "read" it with me, or to his grandparents. (Sometimes he's Piggie and I'm Gerald, sometimes we switch, and sometimes I hear him doing both voices while "reading" to his little sister- then they both erupt in giggles.) He does the silly voices, and traces his fingers along the words, even though he can't actually read yet. Of all the books in our home- and we have many- the Mo Willems books are the ones he gets excited to learn how to read himself. If I could give this book and its series companions a sixth star, I would.

“Waiting Is Not Easy” by Mo Willems is such a fantastic and easy read, especially for kids who are just starting to read! My kids absolutely love it—it’s become a favorite in our house. The story is engaging, the illustrations are fun, and it’s simple enough for early readers to enjoy while still keeping their attention. I was so impressed with how much my kids loved this book that I ended up buying all of Mo Willems’ books. They’re all so easy to read, entertaining, and perfect for young readers. I totally recommend this one and the rest of his collection!

Easy read book, more for like kindergarten or kids starting to read. My child is in 1st grade and he read the book in like 5 minutes. BIG sentences in each page which makes the reading fast. Still a fun book, my son enjoyed it.

I've given this book to several friends/family members for baby gifts. The concept of the story is perfect for those who have experienced difficulty trying to have a child. Parents will appreciate the message of how hard it is to wait, but then being rewarded by something magical and perfect. I still get a little misty-eyed when reading it to our Little One!

Uma forma bem divertida de trabalhar a ansiedade nas crianças!

I discovered the Elephant & Piggie books a few years ago and loved them, but my kids have just really got into them, so I bought my daughter a couple of new ones for Christmas. She is just learning to read, and now she reads Piggie's speeches and her big bro reads Gerald's. (I get to read the walk-on characters.) I just love the way Willems' illustrations combine such simplicity with such expressiveness, and his stories gently convey really positive messages for young heads. Bless you Gerald. Bless you Piggie. Bless you Mo.

All the books of Mo Willems are a treasure! Super short stories, perfect for kids who learn how to read and for sure a great book for parents as the humor is suitable for both! :)

In assoluto il mio libro del cuore… la sorpresa di cui si parla è di una tenerezza struggente!!

絵本というよりは漫画。このシリーズは子供に本当ウケがいいです。3歳から読み始めてますが、何回も読んでるうちにセリフ覚えます。英語を習い始めたくらいのお子さんにもおすすめです。