Willems, Mo. 2013. A BIG GUY TOOK MY BALL! Ill. by Mo Willems. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN-13 9781423174912 (Hardcover)
In A Big Guy Took My Ball, Piggie loses what she believes to be her ball to a much larger animal. She runs to her friend, Gerald the Elephant for support. Piggie explains to Elephant that she was playing with a ball that she found when a 'big guy' took it from her. Elephant exclaims that he will get her ball back and that 'big guys' have all the fun. As elephant approaches to get the ball, he realizes the 'big guy' is a really, really big guy. The 'big guy' turns out to be a whale and Elephant cowers away, returning to Piggie without the ball. The whale approaches Elephant and Piggie and thanks them for finding his ball. The whale explains that no one will play with him because of his size and 'little guys' have all the fun. The trio end up playing a game together called Whale Ball.
This is a wonderful story with simplistic illustrations. This title is the newest in the Elephant and Piggie Books. The visual elements are perfect and grab the readers attention immediately. The entire background is solid white with only the character(s) and speech bubble on each page. The minimal use of art is what makes this book a perfect fit for children. The visual elements force the reader to focus on just the characters and their words. The colors used are pastel and very calming.
There are several lessons for the reader in A Big Guy Took My Ball. The first being that Piggie found a ball and claimed it was hers. Children soon find out that the ball belonged to someone else and just because you find an item, it doesn't make it yours. Another lesson is Elephant and Piggie realize the whale would like someone to play with him instead of being afraid of his size. Children can see that appearance isn't everything and even the 'big guys' need friends.
A Big Guy Took My Ball was recently published and has not been nominated for any awards....yet. However, several other books written by Mo Willems have been nominated for awards and some have won. I also suggest these if you enjoy the Elephant and Piggie Books:
There Is a Bird on Your Head- Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal
Are You Ready to Play Outside?-Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal
I Broke My Trunk! Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor
We Are in a Book!- Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor
Booklist (05/01/2013):
“as always, Willems' staging of his characters and text across the white
background is a master class in economy.”
School
Library Journal (07/01/2013): The story engages readers
with delightfully familiar cartoon illustrations and invites them to follow it
independently by reading the speech bubbles. This title is a wonderful addition
to the series; it's particularly useful for discussions of inside and outside
traits, as well as the tricky topic of threesomes.
Further activities for Mo Willems books can be found at:
http://cdn.dolimg.com/explore/PMPages/DCOM/books/catalog/Printable/Elephant_&_Piggie_TG.pdf
and:
http://www.pigeonpresents.com/teachersguides/EandP_eventkit11.pdf
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