LS 5603 20 Review: I Will Take a Nap! by Mo Willems

I Will Take a Nap!

by Mo Willems 

Title: I Will Take a Nap!
Author: Mo Willems
Illustrator: Mo Willems
Genre: Picture Book
Publishing Information: New York: Hyperion Books for Children
Publication Date: June 2015

ISBN: 9781484716304

 

Bibliography: 

Willem, Mo. I Will Take a Nap!. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2015. ISBN 9781484716304

 

Plot Summary: Gerald is an elephant who is very tired and in desperate need of a nap because he has become quite cranky. He begins to try to nap, when Piggie comes along to see what Gerald is doing. When Piggie asks him, Gerald does quite a bit of yelling, as he is quite cranky. This yelling causes Piggie to become cranky as well, and so he decides he needs a nap, too. They briefly discuss their stuffed animal buddies before both laying down to nap. There is a problem, though. Piggie snores. A lot. Gerald has a hard time napping, and soon things he was not able to nap at all. However, Piggie has begun to float, and his head has turned into a turnip. Therefore, Gerald realizes he has been napping, and wakes up feeling much better, and not at all cranky. 

 

Critical Analysis: This is not the kind of picture book that I would currently read now as an adult, unless I was reading it to my young niece. While the book still tells a story, it is not as detailed as other picture books I have read currently. Despite not being detailed or descriptive, the story is very well written. It has a point to make, and it gets it across quickly and accurately. There is an obvious theme to get from it, and I do believe that children could understand that the idea is not to take out their crankiness on others, and that napping can help to improve their attitude if they do become cranky. The text is large and clear, and there is capitalization and punctuation which helps to bring attention to certain parts of the book. 

 

The illustrations in the book are cute and simple, which I do believe can be great in picture books similar to these ones. The characters are obviously cartoons, and have many cartoon-like characteristics, which seem to make them even more interesting and likable. The drawings are fun, and the facial expressions and detailed lines help to express the feelings and emotions of the characters throughout the book. While the illustrations are limited and quite similar on each page, I do not feel like they get too repetitive or boring throughout the book. 

 

Review Excerpts: 

 

From School Library Journal: "Willems delivers another exemplary entry for beginning readers."

 

From Publisher's Weekly: "Elephant and Piggie return in the Geisel Award-winning early reader series."

 

From Booklist: "The simple line illustrations turn the comical exchange between Gerald and Piggie into pure slapstick."

 

Connections: 

 

While this book may be more difficult to use in the secondary classroom, I do believe that it could be used as a good example of dialogue, and how they could write a more amusing conversation between two characters. 

 

Similar Books: 

• Goodnight Already!
• Ballet Cat
• I Don't Want to be a Frog