Mo Willems continues his best-selling Elephant and Piggiefirst reader series.

The books feature two lovable and funny characters: an optimistic(and sometimes reckless) pig and a cautious, pessimisticelephant. Children who sat on their parents’ laps to havePigeon read to them will eagerly take the plunge with these booksto start reading on their own. Each book has been vettedby an early learning specialist. These sweet and surprisingstories are a much-needed breath of fresh air in the early readerarena.

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

Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 2—In classic Willems style, thecharacters' expressions and body language carry both stories, withthe deceptively simple line art saying far more than the slight,though whimsical, texts. When Gerald accidentally breaks Piggie'snew toy, he is by turns ashamed, chagrined, and apologetic. Piggieis mad, sad, and finally embarrassed (a squirrel shows them thatthe "broken toy" is of the "break-and-snap" variety). The pals thendecide that playing together is more fun than playing with a toyanyway. In the second title, the two watch a squirrel surprise afriend by jumping out from behind a rock. Mischievous Gerald andPiggie then plan together how to "surprise" one another in the sameway. They sit behind opposite sides of a large stone and wait to besurprised. And wait. And wait. And worry. Savvy readers will knowexactly what happens when each friend thinks that the other hasleft. These masterful mini-dramas will delight and amuseeasy-reader and picture-book audiences, alike.—Kelly Roth,Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA
Copyright ? Reed Business Information, a division of Reed ElsevierInc. All rights reserved.

*Starred Review* Squirrel plays a big role in Elephant and Piggie’snext adventure, I Will Surprise My Friend. He surprises his friendby hiding behind a tiny rock and yelling, “Boo!” The squirrels havesuch fun that Elephant and Piggie decide to try it too, but alas,surprising each other, when both know a surprise is coming, isn’tthat easy. As always in?this series, the combination of simple textand mischievous art?will satisfy beginning readers and leave themeager to polish their skills and move toward more challengingbooks. Grades K-2. --Ilene Cooper