Comments for Can I Play Too?

Can I Play Too?: 10/28/14

In Can I Play Too? by Mo Willems, Gerald and Piggie make a new friend who wants to play with them. They want to play ball. The problem, though, is that their new friend is a snake.

Snake ends up enduring the brunt of this book's slap stick comedy. There's a lot of physical humor which will either make you and your children giggle, or it won't. There's not much else keeping it going beyond the physicality.

I've read negative reviews of the book because of the humor directed at Snake who is physically in capable of playing ball. I have to admit I didn't see that potential reaction when my children read the book to me. We were too drawn up in the Warner Bros, Tex Avery, style violent humor.

I think though, that this book can be used in a positive way. After reading the book, discuss with the child (or class) better ways that Gerald and Piggie could have approached Snake's request to play with them. What are some games Snake could play with them that didn't involve either being hit in the head with a ball or actually being thrown instead of the ball?

Four stars

Comments (0)