There+Is+A+Bird+on+Your+Head

=**// There is a Bird on Your Head! (An Elephant and Piggie Book) - Mo Willems //**= Elementary Literature Review #2 by Julia Evola



Author & Illustrator: Mo Willems
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Winner of the 2008 Geisel Medal for most Distinguished Contribution to Beginning Reads Books
Mo Willems is a writer and animator, he began his career on Sesame Street, where he collected six writing Emmy’s, and created two shows for Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. During his time as a writer and animator for a television series, he decided to created books for his children. Over the course of the last ten years he has written and illustrated several series of children’s books, and garnered awards—three Caldecott Honors, two Geisel Medals, and three Geisel Honors. Besides his children’s books, Willem has also created books for older students, and is a three dimensional artist. Additionally, he has created two animated features for the NYICFF and won two Carnegie Medals for his creations. Today, he lives in Massachusetts with his family, and is still creating.
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This book is part of a series involving two main characters, Elephant and Piggie. It begins with elephant and piggie having a conversation and elephant asks if there is something on his head, and piggie says there is a bird on his head. Elephant panics but then after the bird leaves, two more birds take its place, and piggie says they are in love, that they are love birds! Elephant asks how piggie knows they are love birds, and pigge responds that they are making a nest. Elephant is very confused and asks why? He is afraid and asks piggie if there is an egg. Piggie looks and counts one, two, three eggs! Elephant is not happy, and piggie says there is good news because they are hatching! HATCHING? ask the elephant, because he is very distressed. The chicks chirp and elephant and piggie list all the things on elephant's head: three chicks, two birds, and one nest. But the elephant does not want them, and screams he wants them somewhere else. Piggie suggest he ask them to leave, and elephant asks and the birds say yes and leave. Elephants thanks piggie, and piggie says your welcome.
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I really enjoyed this book, because the conversations between Elephant and Piggie would be easy for children to relate to. Clearly Elephant is very upset, and Piggie tells him how to handle the situation in a kind way. Elephant and Piggie are two very different characters with different points of view, and it is good to see both sides. The pictures were very simple but clean, and the plain background was good because it helped me focus on the conversation. The book was funny and charming, and I think children would really enjoy it.
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One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the repetitions and capitalization. Willems put all the dialogue in speech bubbles so whenever elephant was upset, his words would be in all capital letters. For a student learning about the spoken word, using capital letters could help show them the connection between loud voices and capital letters. Having two students read this book together, one as elephant and one as piggie, would be a fun way for them to try different voices and volumes. The conversation was funny and the book was short and repetitious, so it would not be a difficult thing for them.
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