Are You Ready to Play Outside? (An Elephant and Piggie Book) [Hardcover]

Mo Willems (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: October 28, 2008 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years | Series: Elephant and Piggie | Lexile Measure: 140L (What's this?)

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 Are You Ready to Play Outside?, Piggie can’t wait to go play in the sunshine.  But will a rainy day ruin all the fun? 

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2—In a refreshing reversal of their usual roles, the often-despondent Gerald proves to be a valuable friend to exuberant Piggie when her own naturally sunny disposition fails her. Fretful about the sudden rain that threatens to ruin an afternoon of running, skipping, and jumping, Piggie declares emphatically that she is "not a happy pig." Poor Gerald patiently weathers the rain and her brief tantrum and, as readers might expect, the pair soon make the most of the situation. Alive with movement and feeling, the illustrations tell the story, setting the tone and adding depth to the simple text. The words themselves are manageable for young readers, and these endearing and distinctly developed characters have great child appeal. With a cameo appearance by the Pigeon on the final endpaper, this is a winning addition to the author's canon.—Neala Arnold, St. Francis Elementary School, MN
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From Booklist

Gerald the elephant and his friend Piggie are outdoors and ready to play when a drop of rain falls “PLINK!” on Piggie’s head. Watching her high-spirited mood dive precipitously through annoyance toward despair, Gerald extends an ear to shelter her. Soon, though, two ecstatic worms cavorting in the rain inspire them to find happiness in wet-weather play. The characters quickly shifting moods provide plenty of laughs, as well as food for thought, in this amiable entry in the Elephant and Piggie beginning-reader series. Willems again combines simplicity and wit to create a child-pleasing text that works beautifully with the cartoon-style illustrations. Preschool-Grade 2. --Carolyn Phelan

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH; 1 edition (October 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423113470
• ISBN-13: 978-1423113478
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 0.5 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,568 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Elephants
  • #20 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Pigs

More About the Author

A three-time Caldecott Honor winner for Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, Mo Willems has also won two Geisel Medals for There is a Bird on Your Head! and Are You Ready to Play Outside? And his books are perennial New York Times bestsellers. Before he turned to children's books, Mo was a writer and animator on Sesame Street, where he won six Emmy Awards. Mo lives with his family in Massachusetts.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another delight! December 2, 2008

By Deborah Becker

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The first grade readers I share these books with adore them! They were so excited to see a new adventure. Living in rainy Seattle, my readers can identify with Piggie's frustration about not being able to enjoy playing outside on a rainy day. As always with the Elephant and Piggie series, the expressions on the faces of the characters, the clear body language, and the simple-- but wonderfully funny-- dialogue help early readers experience all the drama and humor as they read the story.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Got a kid? Get Mo Willems!!! December 5, 2008

By Bayou Bookworm

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Mo Willems is one of the best writers in children's literature today. The Elephant and Piggie books are great for little ones learning to read. Mr. Willems has a unique gift for making books with few words and simple illustrations laugh-out-loud funny.

My 4 year old daughter loves all of the books and has most of the Elephant and Piggie books memorized. She loves to read them aloud. She also loves to look for the sly appearances of characters from the other books that Mr. Willems includes in every book he writes.

Bottom line: Great books for kids and fun for Mom and Dad, too.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Piggie and Gerald Rock! January 12, 2009

By Judy Malone

Format:Hardcover

This series is up at the top of the all time best learning-to-read books.
Both of my kids love these books and were very proud to be able to read all 57 pages without getting worn out.