I Really Like Slop! (Elephant & Piggie)

“Yummy” may be highly subjective, but friendship is transcendent.

PreS-Gr 2--Elephant and Piggie are back! This time Piggie has created...slop. When Gerald gets a whiff of the pea-green concoction and sees flies buzzing around the bowl, he asks Piggie if it is supposed to smell that way. With the exaggerative flair Willems is known for, as Piggie sniffs, her hat pops off, eyes bulge, and her head turns from turquoise to orange before she answers "Yessssss!" Piggie is eager for her best friend to try the recipe, but Gerald emphatically refuses. Seeing that he has upset his friend, Gerald changes his mind. Willems successfully executes the tension in the tasting scene by using two pages to zoom in on Gerald's face as a dot of slop touches his tongue. Gerald turns four shades of bright colors before transforming into a yellow and purple polka-dotted elephant. As he begins to return to his normal gray self, Piggie asks if he liked it. Although Gerald confesses that he does not, he shares that he is glad he tried it, because that is what friends do for each other. Variance in text size and melodramatic facial expressions will help readers understand how the two pals feel throughout the story. Elephant and Piggie fans will enjoy the new twist of bright colors used in contrast against the signature gray and pink hues. VERDICT Through a story line and illustrations that produce rollicking laughter, Elephant and Piggie once again share with young readers what it means to be a friend.--Beth Parmer, New Albany Elementary Library, OH