TL;DR: If you are currently in the trenches of early literacy, Elephant & Piggie is the undisputed GOAT. But the real "cheat code" for moving your kid from "I’m just looking at the pictures" to "I’m actually reading this" is the Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! series. These books use the same high-energy, dialogue-heavy format to introduce new authors and more complex stories without the "brain rot" feel of some tie-in readers.
Top Recommendations:
- The Gold Standard: The Cookie Fiasco by Dan Santat
- For the Nature Lovers: We Are Growing! by Laurie Keller
- The "Post-Piggie" Bridge: Narwhal and Jelly
We’ve all been there. You’re sitting on the edge of a twin bed, it’s 7:45 PM, and you’ve already read Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! four times this week. You want your kid to love reading, but if you have to read one more "level 1" book about a generic dog going to a generic farm, you might actually lose your mind.
The transition from being read to and reading independently is the "Ohio" of parenting milestones—it’s weird, unpredictable, and sometimes feels like everyone else’s kid is doing it better than yours. Enter the Elephant & Piggie series by Mo Willems.
But there’s a specific corner of this universe called Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! that is the ultimate bridge. It’s essentially a curated "variety show" where Mo Willems introduces other authors using his famous characters. It’s the perfect way to sneak new styles and vocabulary into your kid’s rotation while keeping the safety net of Gerald and Piggie.
The "Elephant & Piggie Like Reading!" series isn't just more Mo Willems. It’s an imprint where Mo acts as the "curator." Each book starts and ends with a short comic strip featuring Gerald (the elephant) and Piggie. They talk about a book they just read, and then the "middle" of the book is that actual story, written and illustrated by a guest author.
It’s genius because it uses the "halo effect." Your kid already trusts Gerald and Piggie. When Piggie says, "This book is funny!" your kid believes her. It’s the literary equivalent of a trusted YouTuber giving a shout-out to a smaller creator—it immediately lowers the barrier to entry.
Most "early readers" are, frankly, terrible. They are often repetitive, dry, and lack any real humor. Kids aren't stupid; they know when they’re being "taught" vs. when they’re being entertained.
The Elephant & Piggie format works because of three things:
- Dialogue Bubbles: There is no "he said, she said" fluff. The text is inside speech bubbles. This helps kids understand who is speaking and teaches them how to read with expression (inflection).
- Visual Cues: The color of the speech bubble matches the character. This is a massive cognitive "cheat code" for kids who are still decoding letters.
- White Space: The pages aren't cluttered. There’s no "visual noise." This is huge for kids with ADHD or those who get overwhelmed by a wall of text.
Learn more about why graphic novels and dialogue-heavy books are great for literacy
Not all "Like Reading" books are created equal. Some are instant classics, and some are just... fine. Here are the ones that actually earn their keep on your bookshelf.
This is arguably the best book in the entire imprint. It’s a hilarious look at four friends trying to divide three cookies. It’s secretly a math lesson about fractions, but your kid won't know that because they’ll be too busy laughing at the nervous breakdown the characters are having. It’s high-stakes, high-drama, and high-comedy.
This one follows a group of blades of grass competing to see who is the "tallest" or "curliest." It’s incredibly silly but also touches on the anxiety of finding your own "thing." It uses repetitive phrasing in a way that feels like a joke rather than a drill, which is the sweet spot for a 5-year-old.
If your kid likes slapstick, this is the one. A bunch of dinosaurs try not to itch because a sign tells them they aren't allowed to. It’s basically a literary version of the "try not to laugh" challenges kids watch on YouTube. It builds tension perfectly, which keeps kids turning the page.
This is a meta-masterpiece. Harold and Hog (another elephant and pig duo) try to pretend to be Gerald and Piggie, but their personalities are the exact opposite. It’s a great way to talk about personality types and why it’s okay to be yourself.
Eventually, your kid will outgrow the 60-page dialogue bubble format. But don't go straight to Harry Potter—that’s a recipe for burnout. You want to keep the "visual-heavy, dialogue-driven" momentum going.
This is the most natural successor to Elephant & Piggie. It’s a graphic novel series about an optimistic narwhal and a cynical jellyfish. The humor is very "internet-era"—lots of puns, "waffles," and random silliness. It’s the ultimate "bridge" to chapter books.
Think of this as the "big kid" version of Elephant & Piggie. It features a pig named Baloney and his group of friends. It uses a comic book layout, which is great for building visual literacy, and the humor is just a bit more sophisticated.
If you want to go old-school, this is the classic version of the "Odd Couple" dynamic. The vocabulary is a step up, and it’s less "loud" than Mo Willems, but the emotional intelligence is off the charts. It’s a great "wind-down" book for bedtime.
Once they have the confidence from the "Like Reading" series, they will inevitably find Dog Man. It’s the "Skibidi Toilet" of the book world—some parents hate it because it feels like "brain rot," but kids obsess over it. If your goal is "independent reading," Dog Man is a powerful ally.
Check out our full guide on whether Dog Man is actually 'good' for kids
- Ages 3-5 (The Pre-Reader): At this stage, you’re doing the heavy lifting. Use the Elephant & Piggie books to teach them that books can be funny. Let them "read" the Piggie parts while you read Gerald.
- Ages 5-7 (The Emerging Reader): This is the sweet spot for the Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! series. They have enough phonics knowledge to decode the words, and the visual cues give them the confidence to keep going.
- Ages 7-9 (The Independent Reader): They might start reading these to their younger siblings. This is a huge milestone! It reinforces their own skills and makes them feel like the "expert" in the house.
The biggest mistake we make as intentional parents is worrying about "reading levels." We want them to be on "Level K" or "Grade Level 3" because it feels like a metric we can track.
Forget the levels.
The goal of the Elephant & Piggie "cheat code" isn't to get them to a higher level; it’s to get them to enjoy the act of reading. If they want to read The Cookie Fiasco for the 50th time, let them. Repetition builds fluency. When they’ve memorized the book, they stop focusing on "decoding" (sounding out letters) and start focusing on "prosody" (reading with the right rhythm and emotion).
Also, be prepared for the humor. These books are weird. They involve grass that talks and dinosaurs that are obsessed with itching. It’s not "classic literature," but it’s what gets them off the iPad and into a story.
If your kid is struggling to make the jump to independent reading, stop buying the "Step into Reading" books with the licensed movie characters. They are usually poorly written and boring.
Instead, lean into the Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! imprint. It’s the most effective, research-backed (in an "I’ve seen this work for thousands of families" way) method for turning a kid into a reader. It’s fun, it’s fast-paced, and it doesn’t feel like homework.
- Grab the Starter Pack: Start with The Cookie Fiasco and We Are Growing!.
- Do the Voices: When you read these together, go over-the-top. If the text is HUGE AND BOLD, shout it. If it’s tiny, whisper. You’re modeling how reading works.
- The Library Haul: Most libraries have a dedicated "Mo Willems" section. Let your kid pick out anything with the "Elephant & Piggie Like Reading!" logo on the cover.
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