Set #5:A Big Man Took My Ball

Willems, M. (2013). A big guy stole my ball! New York, NY: Hyperion. The further adventures of Pig and Elephant find us in yet another moral dilemma. Pig finds a ball and some big guy takes it away from him. After voicing his frustration to Elephant, Elephant assures Pig that he will get the ball back. Consequently when Elephant returns, Pig is amazed that Elephant does not return with the ball. It seems that the holder of the ball is even larger than Elephant. After approaching Whale, our dynamic duo learn that it is indeed his ball. Whale longs for someone to play with and the best friends are delighted. This low fantasy book is filled with child like characters making the themes of this book accessible to the youngest readers. The exploration of ownership and preconceived notions are wonderfully dealt with in this book. This is just one book in the series of life lessons for Pig and Elephant. Mo Willem's style is as exuberant as any three year having a great day could be. The use of a blank setting allows the characters and text to leap from the page. This is another great read for beginning readers.