We've always been BIG fans of the Elephant and Piggie books at my house! We're so excited to partner with Disney-Hyperion on a sponsored post to celebrate 10 years of the series! We gathered some friends and had a playdate party! And you can too! *Giveaway now closed!
At first I was worried that my kids were too old for this series. While these have always been some of our favorites (the books are simple, but a great length and, of course, super cute illustrations) at 8 years old, my son is well in to chapter books. The minute these Elephant and Piggie books showed up, though, my youngest was ALL over them! And he's been reading them every night since. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Mo Willems picture book series, I was sent books and a party pack so we could include some friends too.
I think the newest Elephant and Piggie book might be our favorite. The Good for Nothing Button, by Charise Mericle Harper (recommended for ages 4-8), is one of those books that isn't about much, but is full of fun. When my boys read this together, it was all about acting out the emotions and using funny voices. The story was simple, but it was super entertaining. And the fact that Disney-Hyperion sent us our very own Good for Nothing Button made it even more fun! (But I will be hiding it in the cupboard until I can get the buzzing sound out of my head…)
I kept the party simple especially because it was after school one day. It was like a really great playdate instead of an over the top party. With some simple prep, I was able to get everything together in no time and I knew the kids would love it. I wrapped up the books, because what kid doesn't love to tear open a present?! Wrapping up the Elephant and Piggie books also ensured that the kids would be excited about the books. Sometimes kids see a book and don't instantly think, “FUN!” so I wanted to make sure these felt extra special. 
I kept the food simple. I served popcorn, strawberry lemonade (not show here but the cute cups I put it in are…made extra special with these custom straw decorations with characters from the Elephant and Piggie books!) and cupcakes. Because what's a party without cupcakes. These are store-bought which kept things even easier! 
To say the kids loved this playdate would be an understatement. Yummy treats, presents AND a small favor bag makes for a playdate they won't soon forget. 
Each kid picked a present and opened it. They all compared which books they got and wanted to start reading them right away. Best friends Elephant and Piggie introduce kids to their favorite books – brought to life in original stories created by contemporary children's book authors and illustrators. The new beginner-reader series was created by Mo Willems and features books like The Cookie Fiasco by Dan Santat, We are Growing! by Laurie Keller, and The Good for Nothing Button.
They may have thought the straws were cute before but when they realized they matched the characters in the books, they thought that was such a fun touch! 
It's not every day you see kids reading at a playdate! I loved that they each wanted to stop and really spend some time with their books. Mo Willems' illustration style is playful and engaging. I've always loved the colors in these books too. I love that they are bold, but not your run of the mill primary colors. 
As an activity, I set out this DIY character lanterns. With just a few shapes, we were able to turn the grey one in to Elephant and the pink one in to Piggie! Such a cute thing to have the kids create that then turns in to decorations too! 
Once I showed the kids the battery-powered Good for Nothing Button, they all wanted to know more about it. I had one of the older kids read it to the rest of them. It was so great to see the kids respond is such a favorable way to something that is fairly basic for kids now a days. With all the bells and whistles of video games, a simple book about a button that doesn't do anything was able to capture their attention and keep them engaged. AMEN! 
When they were done reading the story, I gave them all a turn with the button. I'm pretty sure you can imagine what it must sound like. If I ever need to bring my own buzzer to be a contestant on a game show, I'm all set. 
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Elephant and Piggie book series, my kids and I thought we'd share a list of our top 10 books from the series with you (in no particular order). Which ones have you read?
• Waiting is Not Easy!
• The Thank You Book
• Let's Go For a Drive
• Elephants Cannot Dance
• Today I will Fly
• My Friend is Sad
• I Really Like Slop
• I Will Take a Nap
• I'm a Frog
• The Good for Nothing Button
For a small favor, each kid got an Elephant and Piggie stress ball and character temporary tattoo along with a book! Whether you are a fan of the Elephant and Piggie book series, or just finding out about them in this blog post, you'll definitely want to enter my giveaway {GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED}!
Disney-Hyperion gave away a fun prize pack to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the series! 1 winner received The Good for Nothing Button, 4 Books from the Elephant and Piggie book series and Elephant and Piggie stress balls and temporary tattoos!
Rules and Regs:
• The giveaway open to USA entries only
• Must be 18 years or older
• Ends May 30, 2017 at 11:59pm
• Disney-Hyperion PR will fulfill the prize and send it straight to the winner.
• The winner will have 48 hours to claim prize, after being notified via the email they used to enter the contest. After 48 hours, if there is no response, another winner will be chosen.
Don't forget to be social!
Visit PigeonPresents.com
Tweet @The_Pigeon and @DisneyHyperion
Follow @DisneyBooks on Instagram
Like @MoWillems on Facebook
Thank you for supporting the brands, like Disney-Hyperion, who pay me to create fun content for you and your family!
This would be great to introduce my nephews to.
We are big fans of Elephant, Piggy and the Pigeon! I think my daughter likes it because I do all sorts of voices when reading them. My favorite is probably A Big Guy Took My Ball!
I’ve never heard of this, but i think my girls would love out
I would love to introduce these books to my son and daughter. They look adorable.
I would like to introduce the series to my nephews. They like elephants!
I would like to introduce the series to my grandchildren to give them variety in their reading time.
Introduce to my son
Love the Elephant and Piggie series. Think I like “waiting is not easy” the best.
I think the thank you book would be great..so many kids nowadays don’t have many manners, and this would be a great learning tool.
We have discovered Elephant & Piggie in the last few months and we LOVE LOVE LOVE them!! Gerald and Piggie are our favorite book characters by far.
I have not read any Elephant and Piggy books yet, but the librarian recently suggested them as well. I plan to check them out the next time we are at the library.
I totally love this series. ‘We are in a book’ is so funny and makes my son want to read it over and over again.
I’d love to introduce my daughter to these.
I want to introduce my cousin to these books!
I would really like to introduce my granddaughter to this series — I just viewed the series on Amazon and they have lots of good titles.
i think these are very cute and my will love them.
I would love to introduce the series to my sons.
I would like to win this for my granddaughter :) I have not heard of these books before.
I would love to introduce the series to my niece.
The Thank You Book would be my choice!
My students loved Pigs Make Me Sneeze and Happy Pig Day!
Cute! I have not heard of this series, but I think my daughter would really enjoy it, and I am sure I would too!
I would la la LOVE to introduce the series to my kiddos :)
I would like to introduce the series to my granddaughter.
I want to introduce these books to my niece.
I would like to introduce the series to my kids.
I like the “Good for Nothing Button” book.
I’d like to get these books for my grandkids.
We love We Are In A Book
I like The Thank You Book.
I would love to introduce my niece to these books!
I’m excited to read “I Will Take a Nap” to my daughter! Any info on the nap topic is embraced in our house!
Introduce to my grandaughter
I would introduce the books.
My grandsons would love these books! They look like they would be so fun and interactive!
I would love o introduce this series to my grandson.
I have never read these but would love them for my grandkids
I would love to introduce this series to my kids. We have never seen these books before. They look awesome.
I would like to introduce it a child from my church..
I would love getting the book – I’m a frog.
I would love the book – I’m a frog.
my grandson loves to read and this would be a great addition to his collection.
I would love to introduce this series to my granddaughters.
I would love to introduce the series to my granddaughter FIn. The books look very cute and entertaining.
I would love o introduce this series to my children!
The Thank You Book
I would like to introduce the series to my daughter.
my little niece would love these I’m not familiar with the series but would love to read to my niece
This is my daughter’s favorite series!
I don’t think I’ve ever read any books from this series, but I’d love to share them with my nephew and nieces!
I can’t remember the title, but I seem to recall one where the elephant was trying to play some sort of instrument. I was trying to make the book extra interesting for my daughter by making funny voices and doing all the sound effects. I was wore out by the end.
We like all the Elephant and Piggie books
My niece would enjoy this series
My son and I recently read We Are In A Book and really enjoyed it! We would love to read more of the books.
The Good for Nothing Button looks fun!
I do not have a favorite yet but I am sure my nephew will love them.
I would love to have these books for my kindergarten class!
Can’t wait to read these to the babies
I would love to introduce this series to my grandkids
the good for nothing button
I would like to introduce the series!
We have not read these yet but look like books my grandkids would enjoy!
I think my daughter would enjoy this series. She loves to read!
I would like to introduce this series to my grandkids. They both love reading.
My daughter and I like I will take a nap book.
I’m a teacher, so I get to see how much the kids love Elephant and Piggie! We like “We Are in a Book”!
My children would enjoy the characters of this book.
I would like my little granddaughter to read the books.
Haven’t read it yet!
I’d like to introduce them to my granddaughter.
I would love to introduce these books to my little ones! :)
I know my daughter would love this!
I would like to introduce my grandson who is 5 to this book series. We spend much time together reading. I think he would enjoy all the titles.
I absolutely want to introduce my kids to this series! We haven’t read any yet, so we don’t have a favorite :)
I’m sure my nieces would love the series. They love reading books.
I love the Elephant and Piggie books! My favorite is “There is a Bird on Your Head”.
I would share this with my cousin’s twin babies.
Not being familiar with these books – I look forward to exploring them with my grandchildren. We enjoy reading together!
I like the book “I Really Like Slop”.
I love elephant and piggie.
I’m ALWAYS on the hunt for new books for the kiddos, these look perfect for my littles. Your party looks adorable, I think I need to create our own reading play date.
I would like to read these books.
My kids like The Thank You Book.
Max would love these.
My kid LOVES this series! I haven’t read them yet, but I hear they’re funny.
i would love to introduce this series to my children. they are going to love it.
I would like to introduce the series to my grandsons.