Happy Pig Day!

Happy Pig Day! (Elephant and Piggie #16)

4.29 of 5 stars 4.29  ·  rating details  ·  963 ratings  ·  119 reviews
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 Happy Pig Day! Piggie celebrates her favorite day of the year! But will Gerald the Elephant be included in the festivities?

Using vocabulary that is perfect for beginning readers (and vetted by an early-learning special

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Hardcover, 64 pages
Published October 4th 2011 by Disney-Hyperion
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Mike Spinak
This book isn't awful, but I'm not especially fond of it. It epitomizes something I dislike in a lot of children's books (and children's music, children's television, etc.).

My friend's 5 year old son loves Pink Floyd's album Dark Side of the Moon. He loves Dave Brubeck's Take Five, too. He listens to them over and over and over again. He doesn't need music to be "Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O," or "There was a farmer who had a dog and Bingo was his name-o." Likewise, his favorite book is...more
Tiffany
Genre: PB11

What can I say about this book...It's AWESOME! I love Elephant and Piggie and this story shows the importance of understanding and appreciation of our friends and who they are. I found the story to be a great read aloud that would be perfect for preschool age children and even kindergarteners. The story was all about pig day and elephant felt left out since he wants a pig. Before the end of the story we find out that you don't need to be a pig to enjoy happy pig day. It's a great stor...more
David
Happy Pig Day! (Elephant and Piggie #16) by Mo Willems concern Piggie's favorite holiday and whether Gerald can enjoy Happy Pig Day when he is an elephant.

Happy Pig Day is the best day to have a pig party, sing pig songs, dance pig dances, eat pig food, play pig games, and the best day to say Oinky, Oink, Oink! While Piggie is celebrating with three friends, Gerald wanders away, thinking that Elephants can't celebrate Happy Pig Day because they aren't pigs.

Willems' illustrations feature lots of...more
Ryan
Oct 03, 2012 Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Ryan by: Paige
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Nicola
Acquired: Received a review copy from Hachette Book Group Canada.

Reason for Reading: I love Mo Willems!

Piggie is celebrating his favourite day "Pig Day" but when he finds his friend Gerald has left the festivities he goes looking for him to find out what is the matter. Can Gerald the Elephant enjoy Pig Day when he is an Elephant. I don't have a lot to say about this book. It's Mo Willems and Elephant & Piggie! You can't go wrong. Fun story with a little lesson about accepting and participati...more
Angela
My kids and I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the Elephant and Piggie series of books but this one is now our favourite. The series itself is, yes, for emergent/early readers but to me, as an adult who enjoys well-written children's books, this series is for all ages of kids and wanna-be kids. In Happy Pig Day, even the back cover graphic is hilarious and I *love* that about Willems; the humour he ingests that you have to pay attention to see. My friend and I stood in the bookstore sharing this t...more
Jessica
I don't know how many times I have to say this, but...

Mo Willems is a genius.

Elephant and Piggie are the best pair of best friends I've seen in a picture book series.

I'd read any of Mo Willems' books anywhere. Anytime. To/with anyone.

They are hilarious.

They are perfect for kids and adults won't get sick of them.

They use repetition of simple words, making them easy for newly independent readers.

They are great for read-alouds, because they're fast-paced and funny, and even better when you're readi...more
Lolita The Librarian
I love the Elephant & Piggie series. My 4 year old son thinks they are great and loves them too. These books were the first beginning readers that he picked up to "read" on his own. I credit them for helping take him from "reading" to reading for real. Love, Love, Love!

When trying to develop a child to be an engaging reader, I think the books in the Elephant & Piggie series are perfect. The expression and emotion of the characters encourages children to read with that same animation. Wh...more
Julie
How I wish it were Free Ice Cream day. I think I relate more to the elephant than the pig.
Heather
Hurrah for another 5-star Elephant & Piggie book. I love the idea of Happy Pig Day which is a day to sing pig songs, dance pig dances, play pig games, eat pig food and shout "Oinky, Oink, Oink!" with glee. I love Piggie's exuberance over her favorite holiday, and I cannot help but identify with Gerald's existential angst over having a trunk, being gray, and feeling left out of the celebration. Fortunately, because this is a Elephant & Piggie book, there will be a silly but appropriate re...more
Larissa
Oooh! A new one!! (But wait! When's Elephant Day?)
Jenny
My kids love this. I like that it is short and fun to read. I also like that the illustrations are simple but good enough that you can infer emotions. I think it is a good practice with the kids to ask what the characters might be feeling. Sometimes my kids get it and sometimes they don't. This is a cute story because Gerald begins to let himself feel left out and is very sad. In the end he realizes that everyone can celebrate Pig Day.
jacky
Not as funny as some in the series, but still good. What I loved best was that Natalie could tell from the pictures that Gerald felt sad because he wasn't a pig. That's pretty awesome and less expressive illustrations wouldn't allow it. I liked the twist ending, though it was a tad creepy at first. Natalie did some Oinky oink oink chantting after we finished. And the end papers were partically great for this one.
Anna
Oh I love this one too. Yay! Let's celebrate everyone!

Piggie is so happy that it's Happy Pig Day. But Gerald feels left out because he is an elephant and therefore not a pig. He learns that it's okay to celebrate with and for someone else.

I am new to the Mo Willems fan club but I am a convert!

Read in Austin from Drew/Logan/Sabrina's library.
Amy
Happy Pig Day is full of oinking. I had to do very little reading when I read this to the kids tonight. My niece can do an oink that sounds for all the world like a real pig. There is an agreement; when we read books that require oinking, she will voice those parts. Tonight was her night, and Happy Pig Day enabled her to let her inner pig loose.
Christina
"Happy Pig Day!", would be a great book to describe diversity and/or holidays. Piggie informs Elephant that Happy Pig Day can be celebrated by anyone, if if they do not look like a pig. This story line celebrates diversity among friends, and the ability to share in the celebrations of holidays that are not specifically related to you.
Mary Ann
In typical Mo Willems style he imparts a moral with few words and colorful illustrations! Gerald learns how it feels to be excluded and then included. Counselors will find this a beneficial tool in lessons for including those who feels isolated. There is a happy ending with an added twist. Great social skills lesson!
Melanie
It's Happy Pig Day! And Piggie couldn't be more pleased. He's very excited to be able to celebrate with all of his friends and say "Oinky oink oink" all day! But Gerald is concerned that he can't celebrate with Piggie because he's an elephant. Piggie quickly sets him straight.

Another winner from Mo Willems.
Arthur Pengerbil
Reading Level: Everyone!

Piggie is excited to celebrate Pig Day, and Gerald is sad because, well, he isn't a pig... so how can he possibly celebrate Pig Day with his very best friend?


For more book reviews from the HPPL Youth Department, click here.
Robin
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
The Library Lady
This may be my favorite "Elephant and Piggie" book yet. Makes me almost want to forgive Mo for the highly unnecessary Knuffle Bunny Free. :D
Chelsea
I did a happy dance in the middle of the store when this one came out of the box. Elephant and Piggie are wonderful, as always, and there's a message about acceptance, I guess, which hardly counts, because (view spoiler)[there is a bear in a pig suit (hide spoiler)]!!

Yep, that was the spoiler.
christine
Happy Pig Day! great story about friendship; Piggy and elephant two every different animals but great friends that learn to work out and accept those differences. Piggy is celebrating pig day but can elephants join in on a pig day? Super cute and funny.
Perfect first reader.
C. Brooke
I read this with a "Library Friend" (age 4) who loved it. The pictures more than tell the story, a big plus since my "Friend" wanted to read it to me and add her own words to the story. I like Mo Willems and always recommend him to Moms of preschoolers.
Lisa Gricius
What a great lesson in not leaving others out! When children see how sad Gerald is when feeling left out(as masterfully illustrated by the great Mo Willems)- hopefully they will think twice when not including other children in their Happy (Pig) Day!
Snorkle
What a delightful book! The interaction between Elephant and Pigge was, of course, fabulous. I loved Piggie's blithe attitude and over-zealous love for this holiday and Elephant's despair when he thought he couldn't participate. The message was sweet. It also wrapped up neatly and finished on a nice note. I just love how Mo Willems always manages to find some unexpected and often hilarious twist to place near the end. I did enjoy the Pigeon's inclusion in this book as well, however minor it may...more
Arlene Allen
I don't know why I didn't like this one as much as the rest of the series. I don't think it was as funny as the others, for one possibility. It had a very sweet ending, but overall it didn't strike me the way the rest of the series has.
Tricia
I really admire Mo Willems, well, for a lot of reasons. One of these is that he has made beginning reader books more fun with the Elephant & Piggie series. This title does not disappoint as pigs (and elephant alike) celebrate "Pig Day"!
Westerville
"Another good one." - Ellyn, Outreach Associate

Reserve a library copy!
Nathan
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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#1 New York Times Bestselling author and illustrator Mo Willems is best known for his Caldecott Honor winning picture books Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Knuffle Bunny: a cautionary tale.

In addition to such picture books as Leonardo the Terrible Monster, Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct, and Time to Pee, Mo has created the Elephant and Piggie books, a series of early r...more
More about Mo Willems...
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!

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