I Will Surprise My Friend! (An Elephant and Piggie Book) [Hardcover]

Mo Willems (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: June 3, 2008 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years | Series: Elephant and Piggie

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 I Will Surprise My Friend!, Gerald and Piggie want to play a game and surprise each other—but the biggest surprise is the one they least expect.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 2—In classic Willems style, the characters' expressions and body language carry both stories, with the deceptively simple line art saying far more than the slight, though whimsical, texts. When Gerald accidentally breaks Piggie's new toy, he is by turns ashamed, chagrined, and apologetic. Piggie is mad, sad, and finally embarrassed (a squirrel shows them that the "broken toy" is of the "break-and-snap" variety). The pals then decide that playing together is more fun than playing with a toy anyway. In the second title, the two watch a squirrel surprise a friend by jumping out from behind a rock. Mischievous Gerald and Piggie then plan together how to "surprise" one another in the same way. They sit behind opposite sides of a large stone and wait to be surprised. And wait. And wait. And worry. Savvy readers will know exactly what happens when each friend thinks that the other has left. These masterful mini-dramas will delight and amuse easy-reader and picture-book audiences, alike.—Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* Squirrel plays a big role in Elephant and Piggie’s next adventure, I Will Surprise My Friend. He surprises his friend by hiding behind a tiny rock and yelling, “Boo!” The squirrels have such fun that Elephant and Piggie decide to try it too, but alas, surprising each other, when both know a surprise is coming, isn’t that easy. As always in this series, the combination of simple text and mischievous art will satisfy beginning readers and leave them eager to polish their skills and move toward more challenging books. Grades K-2. --Ilene Cooper

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH; 1 edition (June 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423109627
• ISBN-13: 978-1423109624
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.4 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Elephants
  • #21 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

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Review: I Will Surprise My Friend July 24, 2008

By T. Jonker

Format:Hardcover

Scaring people is fun. There is really no getting around this fact. Kids know this better than anyone. Mo Willems knows that kids know this better than anyone. And now he's gone and written a book about it. Fitting right in with previous "Elephant & Piggie" titles, "I Will Surprise My Friend" provides a situation kids will relate to, presented with playfulness, wit, and an ace sense of humor.

The story begins when Gerald (the Elephant) and Piggie come upon a squirrel who is about to surprise his friend. They like the idea so much they decide to give it a try on on each other. They creep up to opposite sides of a big rock and wait to get startled. This setup is ripe for some silliness. Gerald and Piggie both start to wonder where the other one is. They look around the rock at the same time - no one there. They walk around the rock at the same time - nothing. When our heroes finally give up and head out to find each other, they finally get the shock they were hoping for.

The author's knack for getting inside the head of youngsters and seeing things from their perspective is on display here. From the way Gerald and Piggie immediately want to try something they see to how they end up waiting for the other one to scare them, beginning readers will identify with this title.

Willems continues to get his PHD in emotive minimalist illustration in "I Will Surprise My Friend". Each page brings expressions and gestures that announce the mood of each character as clear as day. Similar to other titles in this series, the story is told completely through dialog in the form of word balloons. This makes it a good choice for some good ol' individual reading. And kids will definitely want to read this one - be sure to have a couple copies on hand.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of fun June 25, 2008

By PA Mom

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

My son (almost 3 1/2) started with "Today I Will Fly" a month ago which he LOVED. As soon as we finished reading this one I was instructed to immediately read it three more times that morning (and 2 more times that afternoon). He loves that he can retell the story based on the pictures, the expressions and the short phrases. This is definitely a favorite in our house, so much that my younger son ( 1 1/2) likes to "read" them too.
It is humor that my son "gets" and adults should enjoy too.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally!!!! July 19, 2008

By S. Kleinman-Dominguez

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

An emergent reader series that is not boring! It's funny, you can actually listen to it again and again and again, which if your child is learning how to read or a struggling reader you will:)

It is emergent/early reader, think level 1 with decodable words repeated and introduced perfectly. Enough to gain skill but not too much to bore. (Think Dick & Jane.......easy to decode but boring)

By the author of the "Don't let the pigeon...." & "Knuffle Bunny" series and "Leonardo the terrible Monster" Mo Willems is a Caldecott winner, former Sesame Street writer and a genius!

Buy them all & look forward to nighttime or anytime storytime. (I keep some of them in the car)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Attention-grabbing and funny gem October 28, 2008

By M. McAllister

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is really cute and such a joy to read! I read it myself before reading it to the Kindergarten class, and I honestly thought it was good but I wasn't overly impressed; however, when I read it out loud to the Kindergarten students, the kids absolutely LOVED it! It kept their full attention to the very end and they all laughed out loud a couple of times. It was really cute. They enjoyed it so much that they asked me to read it a second time. The kids can really relate to the story and the emotions and thought processes that the elephant and piggie go through. I am so happy that I bought this book. It is now a class favorite. I definitely recommend it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars No Surprise How Much I Love This One June 25, 2012

By Mark Baker HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

After watching two squirrels surprise each other and laugh about it, Gerald gets the idea that he and Piggie should surprise each other. After all, it looks like such fun. However, they didn't plan it out completely, and both are hiding behind the rock waiting for the other. Will the surprise work?

This has got to be the silliest of the Elephant and Piggie books, and it is an absolute delight. Their different personalities really come out as they are sitting behind the rock. Gerald is worrying about a scary monster eating Piggie, while Piggie decides that Gerald must have gone for lunch. The climax is laugh out loud funny.

You and your kid will laugh out loud at this funny picture book no matter how many times you read it. Get it today.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, Funny, and great for early readers. November 13, 2009

By Debbie Rasa

Format:Hardcover

We love, love, love Mo Willems in our house! His books are so clever, fun, and enjoyable for children and adults alike. The Elephant and PIggie series is perfect for emergent readers because the books are written simply, with a few easy to read words on each page. My 5 yr old likes to read the books with me - he takes the part of Gerald, and I take the part of Piggie. He can read most of the stories by himself, but we both enjoy the interaction of reading it together & I do not tire of reading these books over and over.

All the Elephant & Piggie books are great, but "I Will Surprise My Friend" and "There's a Bird on Your Head" are two of the best in terms of the humor, clever writing, and entertaining expressions on the characters' faces.

Please keep the Elephant and Piggie books coming, Mo Willems!