A Big Guy Took My Ball!

Willems, M. (2013). A big guy took my ball! New York: Hyperion. Piggie was super excited to play with the ball he found until a bully took it away. He tells Gerald his awfully sad story and what is a big friend to do, but to go get it back. As Gerald approaches the big guy, he realizes that the other guy is bigger than him, but misunderstood. The whale was happy to get his ball back, but had no one to play with because of they are afraid of his size. These two best of friends make a new friend and play ball with him. The themes of friendship and acceptance are seen through the story. The strong friendship of Piggie and Gerald and accepting others for their differences will help children learn to cope with their own misunderstandings. The dialogue style is fun with two voices and opportunity for expression. This is a great opportunity to introduce young readers into speaking bubbles. Students can list and illustrate the examples of the themes in the story.