The
Monarch
Award:
Illinois'
K-3
Children's Choice Award
2009
Master List
Sponsored by
the
Illinois
School Library Media Association
2009 Nominee: Today I Will FlyPiggie thinks she can fly while Gerald, the elephant, is determined to convince Piggie that she cannot fly. Finally after getting help from a couple of friends, she proves that she can fly. Now Gerald wants to fly too!
Author & Illustrator: Mo Willems
- Author's Website
- Information for teachers and librarians
- Mo Willems
- Mo has won Caldecott and Caldecott Honor as well as Geisel Award
Book
Activities
- Questions: Would you like to fly? Why or why not? Have you heard
the expression "when pigs fly"? What does it mean? How can friends
help us reach our "unreachable" goals? Would you rather be friends
with Piggie or Gerald?
- Language arts: Practice writing dialog using correct punctuation.
Partner read easy readers featuring friends.
- Writing: Write a story using "speech
bubbles" about something that each student wants to try to do.
- Science: Research how birds or airplanes can fly. Make paper
airplanes. Learn about the Wright Brothers or Amelia Earhart.
- Social Studies: How would our world change with out airplanes?
Show the children aerial views of their town or house at
http://maps.live.com
- Drama: Act out a skit about Piggie trying to learn to fly or
dance or something else difficult for a pig. .
- Art: Draw a picture on the main theme of the book.
- Music: Sing "You can fly" from Peter Pan.
- Movement: Pretend to fly. What movements do you make?
- Technology: Make a Kidspiration web of things that fly. Or
make characters with speech bubbles. Then have the "voice" read the
bubbles.
Related Books
- More Piggie and Elephant books by Mo Willems:
- I Am Invited to a Party!, My Friend Is Sad, There Is a Bird on Your Head! (3 more coming in 2008)
- Pigeon books and Knuffle Bunny books by Mo Willems
- Fly Guy books by Tedd Arnold
- Easy Reader friends: Minnie and Moo, Henry and Mudge, Frog and Toad, etc.
Websites
2009 Nominee Resources