Fiction Review of Watch Me Throw the Ball!

A. Bibliography:
     Willems, Mo. (2009). Watch Me Throw the Ball! New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN: 9781423113485

B. Plot Summary:
Watch Me Throw the Ball! is a playful story about two friends who view throwing a ball from two different perspectives.  Elephant is an expert ball thrower and can throw from far distances.  Piggie, on the other hand, does not have any skill.  Elephant takes this sport very seriously and emphasizes that skill and practice are essential when learning to throw a ball.  Piggie thinks the only thing important about throwing is fun.  Even though Piggie does not throw far at all when it's his turn, he states that it's okay because he had fun.  This reaction has an impact on Elephant who learns to loosen up when he throws the ball.

C. Critical Analysis:
This easy reader is sure to make its way to early childhood classrooms with its fun and playful story.  The interactions between the Elephant and Piggie are comedic and explain the relationship between true friends.  The use of word repetition and big print in this easy reader encourages young readers to develop vocabulary and word recognition. At the end of Watch Me Throw the Ball!, Elephant learns that the secret to throwing a ball is to have fun.  Although this book seems to be just a funny story, there is a key theme that readers of all ages can connect to: To not take life too seriously and enjoy every moment.  Older students will enjoy the fun story, but will not help them develop an advanced vocabulary.

Mo Willems' illustrations have a distinctive look to them.  When you see it on the shelf, you know it's a Mo Willems book.  It's almost to the recognition level of Dr. Seuss books.  The use of mostly white space helps the reader focus on simple drawings.  The reader does not get lost in the book.  Willems' bold lines and simply colored illustrations create his signature look in books.  After reading so many Caldecott winners, the illustrations were a bit mundane in comparison.

D. Review Excerpts:
**Cooperative Children's Book Center (2010) states, "Elephant and Piggie return in another beginning reader showcasing the relationship—sometimes at odds—between this pair. Dialogue bubbles convey the entire brief text, while simple, expressive line drawings work in tandem with the words to tell a story that magnifies emotions and humor."
**Kids' Book Review states, "Elephant and Piggie are back in this ball-throwing romp, part of the Elephant and Piggie series in which Piggie gallantly undertakes the task of lightening Elephant up a little."
**Booklist states, "Accessible, appealing, and full of authentic emotions about what makes friendships tick, these titles will put a contemporary shine on easy reader collections."

E. Connections:
Most of Mo Willems' books are feel good, funny stories, so majority of his books are relatable.  Readers who enjoyed Watch Me Throw the Ball! would enjoy other books in Mo Willems' series Elephant and Piggie Books. The two characters seem to be opposites in this book, which is a concept taught in Kindergarten.  One character is very serious and the other is focused on fun.  The different uses of punctuation and text appearance (all capital letters) bring up a good discussion about author's choice of in how print affects language and tone in a story.  Students can practice using the different text appearances and punctuation marks in their own writing.  Example: use all capitals to show shouting words, use ?! to demonstrate surprise.