Listen to My Trumpet! by Mo Willems

Elephant and Piggie are best friends. Piggie can't wait to show Gerald her new trumpet! But when she starts playing, Gerald is speechless... and not in a good way. What is he going to say to her?

There are some very strong Elephant and Piggie books, and there are some that don't resonate with me as much. Listen to My Trumpet falls satisfyingly in the middle. I really like the books that explore the deep friendship between Piggie and Gerald. They don't always agree on things and sometimes they face difficult choices, but they care about each other and want to be good friends to each other. In this book, Gerald faces a tough decision: does he tell Piggie the truth and risk hurting her feelings, or does he lie to her and tell her how good she is? It might be a concept to explore with kids but in this book it comes across in a straightforward way. Elephant and Piggie fans have another book to enjoy and parents and caregivers looking for books about friendship and honesty have another book to explore.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems
Happy Pig Day! by Mo Willems
Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems

Arnie the Doughnut by Laurie Keller

Arnie has a wonderful purpose in life. He's a doughnut! That means that he gets to wear some awesomely coloured sprinkles, hang out at a cool bakery, and make friends with all of the other baked goods. He's done a lot since he was first created, and his adventure isn't over yet, because someone has just selected him from the bakery counter. He's very excited but has no idea what's in store for him. Is this the end for Arnie the Doughnut?

This book completely won me over. I was skeptical at the start; the art style wasn't one that grabbed me right away, and there was so much going on: the little pictures, the words, the main story. I felt distracted and a bit overwhelmed. Then, as Arnie came into focus as a character, I was grabbed by his enthusiasm and zest for life. (Add him to my list of picture book characters that I would like a stuffed toy version of - maybe I need to add this as a tag?) I loved his outrage at learning that people eat doughnuts and the (spoiler alert?) twist that the other doughnuts know this - and are okay with it! I know that this will just illustrate my ignorance, but I had never heard of this book until it appeared on the new SLJ Top 100 Picture Books Poll (A Fuse #8 Production); if you're like me and this is a new book for you, I highly recommend tracking down a copy. You'll never look at doughnuts the same way again!

Also make sure to check out A Fuse #8 Production, where you can see interior spreads as well as other versions of the book.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Do Unto Otters by Laurie Keller
Grandpa Gazillion's Number Yard by Laurie Keller
The Great Doughnut Parade by Rebecca Bond
If You Give A Dog a Donut by Laura Joffe Numeroff