Review: I love My New Toy

By: Mo Willems

Hyperion Books; 2008; 57 pages

Picture Book. Easy Reader

Grades: Kindergarten- 2nd

ISBN: 978-142310962-4

Piggie and Elephant's friendship is put to the test when Elephant accidentally breaks Piggie's new toy. Luckily, their relationship is not broken forever, and neither is the toy! (It turns out it was supposed to break. Go figure!)

My Thoughts:
I stand in awe of Mo Willems yet again. How he is able to depict such a range of emotions with such minimal artwork and text is beyond me. His use of text balloons makes learning to read more fun. (Reminiscent of comic strips, reading dialog in balloons is less arduous and more straight forward for readers.) Also, rather than using adverbs to express emotions, Willems employs the more direct means of emphasizing text through font size and typeface. (Anger is expressed in large, bold, capital letters. Sadness is small and fine.)

In short, this is a great easy reader book. It has limited vocabulary usage, making it easier for children to practice basic words when they are trying to read. Also, most children were raised on Willem's other work (Pigeon, Knuffle Bunny, Leonardo, etc.) and will feel at home with this book. It is comfortable because it is familiar.


The Thoughts of Others:

Hornbook's review from July 2008 agrees with me that the book's limited vocabulary is ideal for young readers. The reviewer states that "the simple speech-balloon text uses a fair amount of repetition to encourage new readers." They also appreciated how "Willems skillfully conveys mood and tone through type size and his characters’ expressive body language."

Ilene Cooper at Booklist also reviewed this book in July 2008. She appreciated expressive nature of the simple illustrations, as well as that the book"offers plenty of opportunity
for new readers to learn useful words."
See, EVERYONE loves Mo Willems! (As well they should!)

Bedtime Stories with Megan

For my final assignment in the storytelling class...but hopefully NOT my final storytelling...I created a web page with a variety of bedtime stories, poems, and a song.

I call it Bedtime Stories with Megan

I did a web page, as opposed to a single storytelling session, on the thought that I could keep developing it. Kids could come and pick a bedtime story to be told. The stories could rotate and change out over time. However, as there is a common thread running through the set, it could also be used as a single session...assuming you had a stubborn child that would not fall asleep.

The connecting thread to the whole session is, well, my bedroom. The main idea behind the set was to use "found" objects, or pets, to tell children bedtime stories. This is based on my experiences babysitting for friends and family. Often kids want to hear a story but there are no books handy, like on a camping or car trip. (Also, how realistic is it to expect to have your own props with you when you are at someone else's house?) So, I have taken to picking up one of the kids' toys and using it as a springboard for a story. This is something everyone can do, especially if they familiarize themselves with stories that use common toys. Most kids have a Teddy Bear or Princess Doll. (And, as in the case of one of the poems, everyone has the night sky...)

The stories told in my story set are a little more thought out, in that they were not recorded spontaneously or without rehearsal. Still, they are all based on my own toys/stuffed animals/pets.

(Warning: I actually sing A Capella on one of the songs...I was worried about copyright issues if I used a song off my computer...I actually might eventually add some more lullabies...we will see...not a huge fan of hearing my own singing voice...especially all by itself!)