I am in love...

...with these books.

They are the "Elephant and Piggie" books by Mo Willems, author of Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Knuffle Bunny. They are some of my all-time favorite children's books.  Gerald (the Elephant) and Piggie are in many ways opposites (e.g. Gerald is cautious and reserved, Piggie is carefree), but they are best friends.  In this series, they teach kids about friendship and working together, with generous helpings of humor that bothchildren and adults can relate to.   They are charming, whimsical, and endearing. 

My son and I read the newest book (Can I Play Too?) this afternoon.  Here is the blurb from the back of the book:  "Gerald and Piggie meet a new friend, Snake, who wants to join in a game of catch.  But don't you need arms to catch?"

My son was laughing so hard he almost fell over.  Gerald, Piggie and their new friend try a few flawed solutions before figuring out how to play together.  I read this one in the book store a few weeks ago, I was trying so hard to stifle my laughter (and probably just making it worse by letting out snorts and gasps instead) while standing in the middle of the aisle.  This is one of my favorites. 

Another favorite is this one:

I love that they are simple.  I love that the talking bubbles are color-coded so that you always know who is talking (blue for Gerald, pink for Piggie, gray for both at once, etc).  I love that so much of the story is told without words - through body language and facial expressions.  It's amazing to me how a simple line drawing of an elephant or a pig can be so expressive:

My son sometimes has a hard time reading other people's facial expressions and body language.  While human faces are difficult to focus on, the simple faces of Gerald and Piggie are much easier to study and learn from.  We can look at a picture and talk about what the different characters are feeling or thinking, and why ("What is Piggie feeling?  How can you tell?  Why does she feel that way?").  I love that.

If you haven't read them, you should.  Even if you don't have kids.  You will laugh.  Go now to the nearest library and park yourself in the beginning-reader section for just a few minutes.  You'll be glad you did.