FICTION

I Will Take a Nap!

by Mo WILLEMS
I Will Take a Nap! illus. by Mo Willems. 64p. (Elephant & Piggie). Disney-Hyperion. 2015. Tr $9.99. ISBN 9781484716304. LC 2014040522.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 2—Willems delivers another exemplary entry for beginning readers. Announcing that he is cranky and tired, Gerald the elephant decides to take a nap to improve his mood. Just how restful this will be comes into serious question when Piggie enters his dream and begins pestering him. The increasingly agitated elephant freaks out, as Gerald is wont to do, and soon both Piggie and Elephant are in desperate need of sleep. This dream sequence goes from funny to downright kooky when their respective stuffed animals, acting as a Greek chorus, comment on some of the more outrageous happenings. The expressions of Elephant and Piggie, in combination with the simple yet emotional text, will have young readers laughing and identifying with the characters and the topic.
VERDICT Filled with slapstick humor and a sense of the absurd, this book is a sure bet for fans of the series and a lovely introduction for those not yet acquainted with it.
Reviewed by Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, St. Joseph, MI
Elephant Gerald is "tired. And cranky." He settles down for a nap ("I hope I have good dreams") and is eventually joined by Piggie. "SNORE! SNORE! SNORE!" Piggie wakes up refreshed, but Gerald isn't...because he's "NOT napping!" Or is he? The illustrations cleverly indicate what's real and what's a dream; once they're in on the conceit, beginning readers will enjoy the narrative tricks.
 , Jul 01, 2015

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