My Friend is Sad

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Willems, Mo. 2007. MY FRIEND IS SAD. Ill. by Mo Willems. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 142310297-5

2.      PLOT SUMMARY

Gerald and Piggie are best friends, so how can Piggie be happy if Gerald is sad? This simple question is what drives the story. For a reason unknown to the reader, Gerald the elephant is sad, and Piggie notices this and takes it upon herself to cheer her friend up. Not recognizing her, Piggie disguises herself as the things that usually make Gerald happy, but they don’t work. Just when Piggie is ready to give up, Gerald makes her realize that while yes, cowboys and robots are cool, who Gerald really wanted was to see his best friend.

3.      CRITCAL ANALYSIS

Mo Willems’ writing style in MY FRIEND IS SAD is simple and straightforward, a necessity when writing for such a young audience. The Elephant and Piggie series is geared toward early readers from kindergarten on up to third grade. With few words and plain drawings against a white background, Willems explores what happens when a close friend is sad, but you don’t know why. During the first part of the book, young readers should be encouraged to guess why Piggie’s antics aren’t cheering poor Gerald up. The second part of the book offers some humor when Gerald begins explaining why he was so sad, much to Piggie’s disbelief. Though happy that her friend is now himself again, she proposes to him: “You need new glasses….” Read the story to find out why.

As stated before, the artwork is simple with little variation in color and placed against a white backdrop. The dialog is housed in comic-style bubbles, which may make reading the story more appealing to its intended audience.

All in all, it’s a good story that teaches children to reach out to their friends when they are sad, and alongside that lesson is the idea that when someone is sad, what they need most is the support of a loved one.

4.      REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Willems creates engaging characters”

Starred review in BOOKLIST: “Accessible, appealing, and full of authentic emotions”

5.      CONNECTIONS

*This is a book about cheering up your friends when they are sad. Lead the children in a discussion on what they would do to cheer someone up, and what makes them happy when they are down.

*Try more of this author’s many best-selling children’s books, including three Caldecott-honor winning titles:

Willems, Mo. KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY TALE. ISBN 0786818700

Willems, Mo. KNUFFLE BUNNY TOO: A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY. ISBN 1423102991   

Willems, Mo. DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! ISBN 078681988X

*Other books on dealing with sadness:

Willis, Jeanne. MISERY MOO. ISBN 0805076727