Book Title: A Big Guy Took My Ball!
Author: Mo Willems
Published: 2013
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Number of Pages: 64
Recommended Age Group: Pre-school, Elementary
From A Big Guy Took My Ball!
“Piggie is devastated when a big guy takes ball! Gerald is big, too… but is he big enough to help his best friend?“
About the Book
In this award-winning installment of his Elephant and Piggie series, Mo Willems brings back his popular characters Piggie and Gerald, along with a new BIG friend. When Piggie loses her ball, she enlists the help of her best friend Gerald to help get it back. A confident Gerald soon realizes this may not be as easy as he originally thought.
A Big Guy Took My Ball! is the 19th book within the series and is highlighted by Willems’ trademark comedy and comic-book illustrations. The book is ideal for children between the ages of 4 and 8, and was recognized with the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor for being a great book for beginner readers.
The story is one of eight books in the Elephant and Piggie series that is also featured in Spanish. To learn more about Mo Willems’ works, visit his site at http://pigeonpresents.com/books/.
Subjects and Themes
The tone of this edition is consistent with other works in the series and features Willems’ lighthearted writing style. The story is great for young audiences thanks to its themes of (1) friendship, (2) open-mindedness and (3) anti-bullying.
Characters
The close bond between the main characters is what has made the Elephant and Piggie series such a popular one among children and adults. Gerald and Piggie have become iconic characters in the world of children’s books because of their consistently friendly and funny dialogue with each other. In A Big Guy Took My Ball!, the two but those attributes on full display with their over-the-top reactions to losing their ball, only to then open up to a new friend at the end of the book.
Illustrations
Like other works in the Elephant and Piggie series, A Big Guy Took My Ball! features comic-book style illustrations and word bubbles to show dialogue between characters. The exaggerated facial expressions of the characters are one of the best parts of the book and give it its fun, lighthearted tone. Willems keeps each page pretty simple, with most only showing the two characters over a simple backdrop, however, that familiar illustration style works very well to keep the audience engaged on the expressions and dialogue of the characters.
This is a great book for children because…
A Big Guy Took My Ball! is a great selection for new readers thanks to it’s simple sentences, small amount of dialogue per page and hilarious illustrations. The story’s tone is really fun and should keep children from ages 4 through 8 engaged and laughing throughout. If you’re a fan of other works in Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggies series, you’re going want to add this one to your bookshelf as well!
If you like A Big Guy Took My Ball!, check out these other works from Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie series!
We Are in a Book!, 2010
Should I Share My Ice Cream?, 2011
I’m a Frog!, 2013