This easy reader is easy to love and the winner of the 2009 CYBILS!In a humorous storyline that all youngsters can relate to, Piggie gets a new toy and his best friend Gerald wants to plays with it. But as things can happen with young children, an accident occurs and the toy is thought to be broken. Piggie is upset and shows an array of emotions, ultimately ending with both friends in tears. It’s not until a squirrel appears and notices Piggie’s "cool" new toy that is meant to break apart and snap back together. Piggie and Gerald both realize their mistake. In a gesture of kindness, Piggie offers his toy to Gerald, but Gerald decides that friends are more fun than toys.
Author/illustrator Mo Willems has created another fun story in I LOVE MY NEW TOY! In traditional Willems’ style, the illustrations are simple, humorous and assist the child in following the story. The text includes many sight words, phonetic words and repetition to assist a beginning reader. My only caution for parents is that there are some difficult words for an emergent reader to determine (such as “idea” or “break”) but a nearby adult could certainly help with that.
Congratulations to Mo Willems for creating I LOVE MY NEW TOY! Winner of the 2009 CYBILS Easy Reader Category.
I Love My New Toy! by Mo Willems/ISBN 978-142310961-7/2008/Hyperion Books for Children.
