Let's Go for a Drive!-An Elephant and Piggie Book: 18 - Tapa dura

When Gerald the elephant and Piggie decide to go for a drive, they find that all the planning in the world can't replace one crucial ingredient. "Let's go for a drive!" proposes Gerald; "That sounds fun!" agrees Piggie. "Drive! Drive! Drivey-drive-drive!" they chorus. Gerald, a touch on the OCD side, insists on a plan that includes a number of items: map, sunglasses, umbrellas, bags and, as there will be "a lot of driving on [their] drive," a car. Oops. Piggie doesn't have one; "[a] pig with a car would be silly." Neither does Gerald. Whatever will they do? The dauntless duo's 18th outing employs Willems' award-winning formula: color-coded speech bubbles; lots of white space; endearing visual characterization (Gerald's emotional journey as he realizes the tragedy a-borning is hysterical); effortless phonetic play; thoughtfully designed endpapers; silliness. The pair's refrain incorporates each new element to Gerald's plan in a way that is both classically childlike and slyly pedagogical. After "Map! Map! Mappy-map-map!" children will enjoy anticipating how sunglasses, umbrellas and bags will fit into that pattern-and likely start playing with other words as well. Gerald and Piggie's solution? Typically elegant and entirely satisfying. Which describes the book as well. (Early reader. 4-8) Kirkus"

K-Gr 2 Best friends Elephant and Piggie are back in a new adventure that extols imaginative play and flexibility. Type-A Elephant suggests going for a drive (narrated hilariously by the friends with a Pigeon-esque "Drive! Drive! Drivey-drive-drive!"), but cannot stop panicking about contingencies long enough to relax. Piggie gamely supplies solutions to assuage Elephant's concerns, each time adding a new sound effect to their play "Map! Map! Mappy-map-map!" and so on guaranteeing laughs from children. Eventually, Elephant thinks of a need that Piggie cannot supply, causing him to have a flat-out meltdown (also reminiscent of the Pigeon), but in the end, Piggie's quick thinking saves the day. The clean line drawings mirror and support the concise text; both avoid unnecessary details while evoking the full range of emotion. The deceptive simplicity and the comic-book layout will entice even reluctant readers, and is a perfect read-aloud for groups of a wide age range. A must-have for every library. -Rebecca Dash Donsky, New York Public Library SLJ"

Just in case your collection needed a little more gray and pink, here comes the latest mini drama of Gerald the elephant and Piggie the pig. "Piggie!" shouts Gerald. "I have a great idea! Let's go for a drive!" Piggie's down with that idea, and so begins a pattern. First, Gerald thinks of something they'll need: "First, we need a map." Second, Piggie runs to get the item. Third, Gerald speaks to the reader about why the idea was such a darned good one. And, fourth, Piggie returns, and the friends freak out with excitement: "Map! Map! Mappy-map-map!" The laugh factor here will depend on readers' tolerance for repetition. Still, though, even as we approach 20 books in the series, it's hard to imagine getting sick of these two simply yet expertly drafted goofballs. The map, designed with scraps of an actual map, adds a new visual interest, and the ending, as always, is perfect. But you were going to buy this anyway, right? - Daniel Kraus Booklist"

Elephant Gerald and Piggie want to go for a drive, but as Gerald thinks of one thing after another that they will have to take along, they come to realize that they lack the most important thing of all.