Thursday Book Rec- Anything Mo Willems!

Thursday Book Rec

I am an admitted book worm. If I could swim in books or sleep in them, truly I would. I am constantly on the lookout for new ones, both for the kids and myself. There's no better love you can inspire in children than the desire to read, but again, I am thousand-percent biased. This is one in a series of posts spotlighting books we picked up and absolutely loved! Most of these can be appreciated by just about any age, and I say this because I love them just as much as the kids do. I hope you do, too!

Google Images

Google Images

Google Images

Title & Author: 

Pigeon Series, Knuffle Bunny series, Elephant and Piggie Series by Mo Willems

What It's About:

First you must know that Mo Willems has many more books than what I'm mentioning here, all of which I also recommend without even cracking the spines. Those I'm spotlighting here are his more popular titles. His characters share an interesting take on life and the things we do to make it fun, or in his case, funny. I can honestly say I identify with each one of them and Willems does a great job of making his characters relatable. 

There's Pigeon, who's very witty and just won't take no for an answer but you gotta love him anyway. Then there's Trixie, her beloved Knuffle Bunny, her doting mother, and comically clueless but quick study of a father; you have the pleasure of watching her grow up over the course of the three-book series *sniffle*. Last, we have Elephant (Gerald) and Piggie who are the best of friends, don't take themselves too seriously, and are totally adorable all on their own.

My Thoughts:

These books generally make great early reader books (due to the large, simple text and shorter sentence structure) and are extremely entertaining. Pigeon has become a household favorite and although it's been awhile since we've read a Pigeon book, we find ourselves goofily quoting the adorably persistent bird in normal conversation quite often and cracking up every time as though it's the first time ever hearing it. We also look out for cameos of Willems' characters across some of his books, 'Where's Waldo'-style, it's so much fun to see and keep watch for, and I feel like it's a shout-out to the true fans every time we find the hidden character.

My kids so obviously love these books and bless Mr. Willems for cranking them out like there's no tomorrow and sparing us all the unnecessary wait. I find myself scouring the "New" shelf at the library to see if he's slipped any more new titles by us, then I snatch up the first one I see like it's stolen goods and run to the check-out. Usually I sneak it in with our other books so the kids don't see, then later look like the hero when I present it as a bedtime surprise. Then, we happily devour it together.

Note: I've just discovered that this talented author has a website with games and fun. When you have a chance, check it out, as well! I also now follow Pigeon on Twitter & like him on Facebook.