Bookathon - W

 Where's Wally?

Actually Wally is staying in the library as he's been banned from the classroom. Teachers were saying that I wasn't to let their pupils borrow Where's Wally books because they weren't READING any words.  Because when it came time for SSR (sustained silent reading) they would say they were reading Where's Wally when they were really just looking at the pictures. 

I can't argue with that because I find Where's Wally books frustrating. I can never find Wally either. So I marked the Where's Wally books Not For Loan and they stayed in the puzzle books section of the library. Where he was easy to find. 

Then I worked in another school library where Where's Wally books were allowed to be borrowed. There was a swift circulation of these books along with Minecraft, as digital literacy seemed the order of the day there and the teachers got all the children on to I -pads and tablets as soon as they could see. Even though they mashed up the ipad I had in the library and the replacement went missing. I -pads etc have their place but I am not a fan of them, I prefer turning pages of REAL books.

The books that everyone genuinely wants to READ (i.e the words)  are Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems. I think he found the winning formula for the beginning reader and I swear that Dr Seuss never got a look in once the children found this series under W. Elephant and Piggie are a cartoon duo that are like the odd couple. Elephants name is Gerald and he wears glasses, is a bit myopic, and anxious, while Piggie doesn't seem to have a Christian name and she is carefree and happy-go-lucky. They are best friends and have mini dramas that involve dilemmas like Should I share my ice cream? ask each other Are you ready to play outside? and think of adventures like Let's Go For a Drive! (even though they are not yet old enough to drive, and even though they are animals and not humans). The most popular title would have been There is a Bird on Your Head!, while the most loved would definitely be The Thank You Book.

Waiting is Not Easy! is an exercise in patience and your dramatic reading skills. You can pretend to throw a tantrum too in I will take a nap! Though my favourite might have been I really like Slop! great for picky eaters (or readers) especially those who were doing the Pizza challenge and had to read 7 books for rewards. There are 28 books in this series and you wouldn't want to miss reading each 64 page one, so you'd possibly get 4 pizzas out of Mo Willems which is very good value! 

Mo Willem's other books haven't been as popular although children still read The Pigeon has to Go to School. The pigeon is like a 2 year old toddler who thinks he's the centre of the universe. He also wants to drive the bus. I'm sorry pigeon, you have to wait and you have to sit your drivers licence exam before you do that. And take a bath as he's grubby.  Mo Willems books have been translated into all languages and I am waiting on the Te Reo versions of Elephant and Piggie. Happy Pig Day! was definitely a hit in Chinese. They are perfect for reading out loud and I'm sure blind and low vision children will get a kick out of them in a way they can't do with Where's Wally. 

Don't forget to donate to the Great Kiwi Bookathon where these children will gain access to these wonderful books.