In another one of Mo Willem’s classic tales, There is a Bird on Your Head!, Piggie and Elephant are back again, but this time they have got trouble! A bird has decided to land on Elephant’s head, and it does not look like it will be leaving anytime soon. The first bird is joined by another bird, those birds make a nest, and before Elephant knows it, he’s got three baby birds on his head! But how can he make them go away? This book’s Lexile reading level is 210L, and it would be great for younger readers in preschool or kindergarten. This story would be great to talk about sequencing with students. You could print out pictures that are descriptive of the text, and allow students to put the pictures in the order in which they occur. This book is one that teachers should try and be theatrical with. Because it is a simple book to read and understand, teachers should really be over-the-top in how they read the story so it could be more entertaining for students. I would suggest maybe using some puppets to read, or making different expressions in your vocal tones.

Mo Willem’s book, Should I Share My Ice Cream?, is a classic tale of contemplation by the main character, Elephant. On one hot day, he decides to go set some ice cream for himself. However, Elephant wonders if he should keep the ice cream to himself. Why not share his ice cream with his best friend, Piggie? He contemplates for the longest time about what he should do, but does he wait too long? After all, it does not take ice cream long to melt down! This book’s Lexile reading level is 180L, and it would be something that younger students in preschool or kindergarten would enjoy. In the classroom, this book would be great to talk about sharing with friends. Students could brainstorm items that would be good to share with their friends, and maybe some items that would not be such a good idea to share. The students could then have a day where they bring an item to class that they would like to share with friends, and one item they want to show but keep to themselves.