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I Will Take a Nap!: An Elephant and Piggie Book    by Mo Willems Amazon.com order for
I Will Take a Nap!
by Mo Willems
Order:  USA  Can
Hyperion, 2016 (2016)
Hardcover
* *   Reviewed by Bob Walch

Gerald and Piggie share another one of their offbeat adventures in this latest Mo Willems picture book. Gerald is rather cranky and realizes he needs to take a nap to improve his mood. 'I am happier when I am rested,' he explains.

Unfortunately, just when he is about to nod off, Piggie comes along and wakes the elephant up. Gerald's immediate reaction is to shout at his friend who then says, 'Now I feel cranky, too.'

So now both animals need a nap. But as soon as they fall asleep one of them, Piggie, begins to snore. Of course this means Gerald won't be able to get the rest he so desperately needs. Eventually a well rested Piggie wakes up and asks Gerald if he enjoyed his nap. Dumb question!

At this point the book gets a little muddled, or at least it appears to. Piggie is shown floating in the air and he now has a turnip head. What's going on here? If you keep flipping pages you'll realize that Gerald is apparently having a dream.

If I was confused by how this tale developed, you can imagine a child will also have some questions. Since this is an Elephant and Piggie book perhaps a coherent storyline is not essential, but I was a bit disappointed by this development.

Usually Mo Willems hits the nail right on the head with his stories. This time I think he clobbered his fingers instead ... too bad. Well, as Gerald might say, 'No one is perfect!'

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