There Is a Bird on Your Head!

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Tender comedy is great for beginning readers.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

Find out more

Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Parents say

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is another one of the very funny books in Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie series. Kids will laugh themselves silly when reading it.


What's the story?

When a bird lands on Gerald the elephant's head, the trouble begins. One thing leads to another, with Gerald freaking out and Piggie trying to help out, or at least explain what is going on. Things go from bad to worse, but always in fun, until a surprising solution is found.


Is it any good?

 

Anyone familiar with Mo Willems' Don't Let the Pigeon… books will recognize the simple but expressive lines of his drawings, as well as those of his text. Both are funny in a quiet way that creeps up on you until you're laughing yourself silly. Bespeckled and a little stressed out, pessimistic Gerald the elephant has the look of a worried old man while his upbeat friend Piggie is much more kid-like and exuberant. Together they make a great pair, in much the same way as Frog and Toad.

The language is simple and repetitive enough for beginning readers to enjoy. And the humor will hold their interest while they struggle with the harder parts. This book is so much fun that even struggling readers will want to read it over and over again, especially if they are able to share parts with another reader. And, happily, this is only one of several in the Elephant and Piggie series.


Sign Up Message
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
Each week we send a customized newsletter to our parent and teen subscribers. Parents can customize their settings to receive recommendations and parent tips based on their kids’ ages. Teens receive a version just for them with the latest reviews and top picks for movies, video games, apps, music, books, and more.
Please enter an email address.
Please check your email address for possible typos.
Sorry, you must be 13 or older to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Sign me up!

What families can talk about

Families can talk about and play the two main characters. Members in the family can take the part of Gerald the elephant, or his friend Piggie, and act out this story, which almost sounds like a Laurel and Hardy comedy routine. Beginning readers can handle the text, and everyone in the family will love the expressively comic drawings.


This review was written by Patricia Tauzer
Adult
October 3, 2009
 
Found it to be a very entertaining story.

Flag as inappropriate 
Parent of 3 year old
September 12, 2009
 
Great book for my 2 year old!
Easy to keep my 2 year old son's attention. He asks for this book time and again! Great drawings! I recommend for any age, but particularly for 2 years and up, as they are beginning to understand some of the concepts and terms in the book - like "love."

Flag as inappropriate 
Parent
April 10, 2012
 
Funny every time
My 3 year old and 6 year old daughters laugh every time they read this book. Simple story line and polite friendship make this book a hit for me as well.

Flag as inappropriate 

This review was written by Patricia Tauzer
Author:Mo Willems
Illustrator:Mo Willems
Book type:Fiction
Genre:For Beginning Readers
Publisher:Hyperion Books for Children
Publication date:July 31, 2007
Number of pages:64
Hardcover price:$8.99
Publisher's recommended age(s):4 - 7
Read aloud:4
Read alone:5

This review was written by Patricia Tauzer
 

Review It

Share your review with others

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

 

vote now

Will you read There Is a Bird on Your Head!?


Already read it? What do you think?

 

Been There? Tell us about it