I Am Invited to a Party!

The ever-exuberant Piggie is invited to a party, but it is the more circumspect Gerald the elephant who knows his way around parties and insists that they must prepare. Under Gerald's guidance, the pair dresses for a fancy party, a pool party, and a costume party cumulatively, layering their garb into truly eccentric fashion statements. Willems executes a fresh take on the cumulative tale in this fourth installment in his easy reader series starring Piggie and Gerald, introducing an updated set of survival words and sentence structures for new readers, as well as str4essing the importance of reading pictures as well as words for a more comprehensive approach to contemporary literacy. Humor emanates from Gerald's calm assurance of his expertise ("I know parties," the pachyderm proudly asserts) counterpoised against Piggie's skepticism, which is expressed through wry glances and direct addresses to the reader. She's merrily compliant, though, and the payoff is surprising and witty. 

Ages 3-5