also known as harper by ann haywood leal

But he has no stories! With the help of his classmates, Ralph realizes that a great story can be about something very little … and that maybe he really does have some stories to tell. So every day when it’s time to write stories, Ralph thinks really hard. Malala Yousafzai: Warrior with Words: Karen Leggett Abouraya, L.One of the best, if not the best, series for young readers! Our class is using these for reader theater this week and piecing them together to create a class play. A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends. And the spectacular, photo-collaged images of the Milky Way that dwarf the two friends makes it clear that it was indeed worth the wait. Most amusingly, Gerald’s elephantine groans assume weighty physicality in spread-filling speech bubbles that knock Piggie to the ground. At one point, Piggie assumes the lotus position, infuriating Gerald.

“WE HAVE WASTED THE WHOLE DAY! And for WHAT!?” Piggie then gestures up to the Milky Way, which an awed Gerald acknowledges “was worth the wait.” Willems relies even more than usual on the slightest of changes in posture, layout and typography, as two waiting figures can’t help but be pretty static. As the day turns to twilight (signaled by the backgrounds that darken from mauve to gray to charcoal), Gerald gets grumpy.

Gerald lets out an almighty “GROAN!” Variations on this basic exchange occur throughout the day Gerald pleads, Piggie insists they must wait Gerald groans. Gerald the elephant learns a truth familiar to every preschooler-heck, every human: “Waiting is not easy!” When Piggie cartwheels up to Gerald announcing that he has a surprise for him, Gerald is less than pleased to learn that the “surprise is a surprise.” Gerald pumps Piggie for information (it’s big, it’s pretty, and they can share it), but Piggie holds fast on his basic principle: Gerald will have to wait.

Also known as harper by ann haywood leal