[BOOK REVIEW] Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems

Title:  Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed

Author:  Mo Willems

Genre:  Animals / Humor / Self Esteem / Peer Pressure

Year Published: 2009

Year Read:  2016

Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 4+  (Some Bullying)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

 

You know, the moment that I saw Mo Willems’ name on this book, I just knew that I had to pick this book up since I have been loving everything that Mo Willems had thrown at me!  This particular book that I had just recently picked up is called “Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed” and I was quite surprised by the title of this book and I wanted to see how Mo Willems would make this book just as interesting as his other works!

There are three things you should know about naked mole rats:

1. They are a little bit rat.
2. They are a little bit mole.
3. They are all naked.

Well, except for one naked mole rat…WILBUR!

Wilbur was the only naked mole rat who was not…well…naked, as he constantly wears clothes to every occasion he goes to.  The other naked mole rats were not pleased by Wilbur’s strange notions about wearing clothes and they tried to persuade Wilbur to not wear clothes.  But Wilbur refuses to take off his clothes and the other naked mole rats ended up telling the Grand-pah, the oldest, greatest and most naked mole rat, about Wilbur constantly wearing clothing.

What will the Grand-pah say about Wilbur’s strange notions in wearing clothing?

Read this book to find out!

Well, what did I tell you?  Mo Willems has never failed to amaze me with his creative and hilarious writing and this book is no different!  I loved the way that Mo Willems addressed the issue of peer-pressure to the readers by having Wilbur dealing with peer-pressure as the other naked mole rats keep on telling him that it is appalling wearing clothes and that he should be like everyone else and remain naked.  I also loved the way that Wilbur is portrayed as being strong willed and wanting to keep wearing his clothes, despite what the other naked mole rats say about him as it shows the readers that you should be yourself no matter what other people say about your hobbies or appearance.  I thought it was creative and interesting that Mo Willems used naked mole rats as characters and used their titles to describe about the pressure of not wearing clothes since naked mole rats are supposed to be “naked” and it sends an interesting message about being yourself despite how different your notions may be compared to everyone else’s. Mo Willems’ artwork is as usual creative and fun to look at as the naked mole rats are shown as pink creatures with whale shaped heads and chubby little stomachs that make them look extremely cute!  I also loved seeing the images of Wilbur putting on clothes as it makes him stand out from the other naked mole rats and I also loved the styles that he has chosen for himself!

Overall, “Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed” is a truly inspiring and cute book about not giving in to peer-pressure and being yourself no matter what anyone else thinks about you!  I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.

 * 2009 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Picture Book

 

[BOOK REVIEW] Time to Pee! by Mo Willems

Title:  Time to Pee!

Author:  Mo Willems

Genre:  Animals / Potty Training / Comedy

Year Published: 2003

Year Read:  2014

Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 4+  (Nothing Objectionable)

Buy on:   Amazon  //  Book Depository

Hey, there has to be a children’s book that teaches children how to use the bathroom, am I right?

Now, it is rare that I read children’s books that teach children how to use the bathroom, but I never would have thought that I would read a children’s book about using the toilet written by Mo Willems!  “Time to Pee!” is a companion book to Mo Willems’ “Time to Say Please!” book and it is another book that teaches young children about how to do certain things (in this case, teaching children how to use the bathroom), while starring everyone’s favorite blue mice!

This book teaches young children how to use the toilet whenever they need to go to the bathroom and the blue mice as usual try to help out the children in learning how to use the toilet by taking them through each step slowly and holding up signs to encourage the children. 

Once again, Mo Willems has created another brilliant installment in his “Time to” series and I enjoyed this book as much as I did for “Time to Say Please!”  I really loved the fact that Mo Willems tackles a subject that is often taboo for children’s books, which is teaching children how to use the toilet when they need to go to the bathroom. It really made this book stand out from the other children’s books I have read that deal with unique topics such as toilet training and I really loved the way that Mo Willems takes each step of potty training slowly as it truly does help children learn how to use the toilet. Mo Willems’ illustrations are as usual funny and cute to look at, especially of the numerous blue mice showing up in the images, providing signs that would help out the children in their potty training while doing random activities like dancing in the background. 

Overall, “Time to Pee” is a fantastic companion book to “Time to Say Please!” that children who are also going through potty training can read to learn how to use the toilet correctly.  I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since the story is easy enough to help small children with their potty training.

[BOOK REVIEW] The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! by Mo Willems

Title:  The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!

Author:  Mo Willems

Genre:  Food / Animals / Sharing / Humor

Year Published: 2004

Year Read:  2014

Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 4+ (Some Rude Behavior)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

Whew!  Just how many “Pigeon” books are out there? I must have read over a dozen “Pigeon” books written by Mo Willems already, but I am alright with that since I have enjoyed practically all of Mo Willems’ popular “Pigeon” book series.  So, the most recent one I had read is called “The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!” which is just as funny and witty as the previous “Pigeon” books!

The book starts off with the Pigeon finding a hot dog on the ground and wanting to eat it. Just as the Pigeon was about to eat the hot dog, a small and cute duckling comes waddling by and starts asking the Pigeon all of these questions about how tasty the hot dog is and if he could have a piece of the hot dog.

Will the Pigeon share his hot dog with the Duckling?

Read this book to find out!

Oh man, I just keep on loving these “Pigeon” books by Mo Willems since they are so witty and cute to read through!  This book is definitely no exception as I loved the way that Mo Willems wrote out the relationship between the Pigeon and the Duckling. I loved the fact that the Pigeon and the Duckling have different personalities as the Pigeon is always shown as being loud, bossy and a bit greedy while the Duckling is shown as being polite, innocent and intelligent and it was great seeing these two character clash with each other regarding the situation at hand.  I also loved the Pigeon’s witty and hilarious dialogue as he tries to avoid giving his hot dog to the Duckling as I found myself chuckling at the Pigeon’s wild statements, while I found myself showing affection for the Duckling’s innocent nature.  Mo Willems’ artwork is as always cute and hilarious to look at, especially of the images of the cute little duckling looking at the Pigeon with innocent curiosity, while the Pigeon constantly scowls at the Duckling for annoying him throughout the book.

 

Overall, “The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!” is a truly cute and hilarious book that “Pigeon” fans should definitely pick up!  I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since this book is appropriate enough for younger children.

* 2008 Golden Archer Award for Primary

 

[BOOK REVIEW] The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too! by Mo Willems

Title:  The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!

Author:  Mo Willems

Genre: Animals / Emotions /  Humor

Year Published: 2005

Year Read:  2014

Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 3+ (Some Rude Behavior)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

Man, how many “Pigeon” books are out there?  It does not matter, because I have been enjoying almost all of the “Pigeon” books so far and I am so glad to find another “Pigeon” book called “The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!” which happens to be in…BOARD BOOK FORMAT!

“Hey, Pigeon, why don’t you show everybody your HAPPY face?”

“Never.”

This is the opening statement of the book as it shows that the bus driver is trying to get the Pigeon to show his emotions to the readers.  But, as usual, the Pigeon gives the readers reasons about why he refuses to show his emotions.  But for anyone who has read the previous “Pigeon” series, we all know what is going to happen in the end…

Wow!  Now, I will admit that when I picked up this book and it was in a board book format, I was a little surprised since this was the first time that I had read a “Pigeon” series in another format besides hardback.  The board book format provided an interesting way to read this book as the story was much shorter than what your average “Pigeon” book usually is and it managed to convey some emotions that are felt by children and adults while providing some snarky humor to go along with it!  Mo Willems has done a brilliant job at instilling humor in this book as the Pigeon is as funny as ever as he still tries to go against the bus driver’s wishes (despite the fact that it is quite obvious that he is showing many different emotions such as anger and happiness).  Mo Willems’ artwork is as cute as ever, as we see images of the Pigeon showing various emotions throughout the book such as being sad and being angry.  I especially love the images where the Pigeon waves his wings around frantically whenever he was angry since it was so hilarious to look at!

For anyone who is familiar with Mo Willems’ “Pigeon” series, you might be a bit disappointed that this book is extremely short compared to the other “Pigeon” books.  It did seem like we were not getting enough story with this book as the pigeon only explored three emotions and I would have liked to see the Pigeon explore more emotions like “tired,” “excited” and “scared.”

Overall, “The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!” is a cute and short little book that details the emotions that both children and adults feel and it is definitely a hilarious classic for both children and adults!