Mo Willems is a writer and illustrator who is a three-time Caldecott winner; earlier in his career, he was a writer and animator on Sesame Street. In this delightful book for children ages four to eight years old, Gerald is an elephant who is sad. We don't know what put him in his funk but his trunk is dangling down. He looks as if he is hurting on the inside and the outside.
Gerald's best friend is Piggie. Upon seeing Gerald's mood, he decides to come to his rescue. He knows his friend loves cowboys so he dresses up as one and perks Gerald up briefly. Then he plays a clown and a robot. It's exhausting trying to make a buddy happy.
Finally, Gerald reveals that he is most happy when Piggy is with him and truly present in all his quirkiness. And Piggie realizes that just being with his buddy and not trying to change him is what friendship is really about.
