Common Sense Media Review
Piggie will fly in this spunky read-aloud.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Piggie wants to fly but Elephant is discouraging. With the help of a couple of friends, Piggie tries hard to make her dreams come true.
Is It Any Good?
It won't surprise parents to hear that author/illustrator Mo Willems got his start writing for Sesame Street; the same smart but developmentally appropriate attitude is all over his picture books. This Elephant and Piggie book will remind readers of vintage Dr. Seuss series regular P.D. Eastman, who wrote classics like Go, Dog. Go! A similar sensibility drives this book: simple pictures, likable characters, and snappy dialogue in an easy-to-read, kid-friendly format.
Willems' scratchy, casual illustrations convey the action and character emotion. The lack of background keeps the focus on language and makes the punctuation -- somewhat sophisticated for this level -- less daunting. TODAY I WILL FLY is entertaining enough that adults will want to read it aloud, but has enough emotional action that beginning readers will be satisfied that this is no book for babies. For such a tight vocabulary, an awful lot happens in this well-presented book.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Elephant. Does he remind you of Eeyore? Why doesn't he think Piggie can fly? Even though Piggie's being silly, do you think Elephant should be encouraging anyway?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Mo Willems
- Genre : For Beginning Readers
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Hyperion Books for Children
- Publication date : April 1, 2007
- Number of pages : 58
- Last updated : February 4, 2020
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate