Mo Willems

When Gerald the elephant and Piggie realize that they are in a book, they decide to have some fun with the reader.

We are in a book!

Sarah Sammis

We Are in a Book by Mo Willems is the third Elephant and Piggie book to win a Cybils. It was the first book in the series that Harriet and I read. I chose it for her when it became obvious that she was able to read.

While not all of the Elephant and Piggie books are metafiction, We Are in a Book! is from its title all the way through. It plays with the sort of humor Willems used in Sheep in the Big City but aimed at the beginning reader audience.

Gerald tells Piggie that they are in a book. As the two work out what that means, they come to the conclusion that if the reader is reading aloud (as many early readers do), then they, as characters in the book, can make the reader say things.

They try out their theory with the word "banana!" That choice set Harriet and me in stitches. We are in a Book was the book she read right after having read Ed Vere's Banana for a solid week.

The Elephant and Piggie books are good early reader books because they use an easy to read vocabulary and visual clues to help children know who is speaking and what emotions they feeling. All of Gerald's bubbles are gray and Piggie's are pink. The text gets larger for shouting and smaller for whispers. These clues have really helped Harriet learn how to read smoothly but with emotion.

We are in a book!

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