ALA Booklist (Tue Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2009)

The mercurial friendship of Elephant and Piggie survives another minor (but seemingly life-ending!) tiff. The two are basking in shared bliss when Piggie announces, "Well, I am going." Elephant proceeds to get histrionic, clawing at his ears and wailing, "Who will I skip with? Who will I play Ping-Pong with? Who will I wear a silly hat with? WHO WILL I SKIP AND PLAY PING-PONG IN A SILLY HAT WITH?!?!" Though it falls short of the high-water marks of I Love My New Toy! (2008) and I Will Surprise My Friend! (2008), Willems again distills the abrupt melodrama summoned by the commonest of childhood disagreements. As always, the key is the offhandedness of the presentation e pencil art, the simple font, and the generous white space create a mid-tempo visual rhythm that is somehow intrinsically funny. This austerity is broken when Elephant reaches the mad heights of his tantrum. For both adult and child readers, it's a moment as pleasurably predictable as the making-up that quickly follows.

Kirkus Reviews

The two-time (so far) Geisel Medalist continues to set the bar high for beginning-reader achievement in this latest installment of the Elephant & Piggie series. Cover art depicts Piggie poised to walk away and anxious elephant Gerald's horrified reaction to her imminent departure. Although the title page repeats this cause-and-effect relationship, the book proper opens with the contented pair reveling in each other's company. "This is a good day," Gerald announces, and it is—until a few pages later when Piggie says, "Well, I am going," and her elephant pal pitches a fit of separation-anxietyinduced pleading and temper worthy of a certain pigeon (who, since he shows up in every Willems book, appropriately makes an appearance during this tantrum scene). Piggie holds her ground, eventually explaining that she's only going...to lunch. Relieved Gerald, along with a contingent of ants, joins her for a picnic, replete with colors that satisfyingly deviate from the series's limited palette. To paraphrase Gerald: This is a good book. (Early reader. 4-8)

School Library Journal (Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

PreS-Gr 1 Once again, Willems shows his talent for distilling the most profound human emotions to just a few words. Gerald the elephant is exhibiting anxiety, and his issue is the fact that Piggie says, "I am going!" For young children, this fear of abandonment can surface even when a friend or caretaker leaves for a brief time. It turns out that Piggie is just planning to go get lunch, and in his typical, reassuring way, Willems shows a picnic spread at the end with the two friends enjoying the meal together, Gerald's worries having been assuaged. Fans of the series will recognize that sometimes Gerald is the in-charge character and sometimes it is Piggie; as in real life, different people show their vulnerabilities in different situations. Once again, Willems uses just two colors, showing pink Piggie marching on the front endpapers and gray Gerald hopping on the back. He uses text bubbles to indicate who is speaking and includes plenty of white space. The illustrations are hilarious while at the same time capturing the truest of feelings. Be sure to add this easy reader to your collection as an addition to the series or even as a stand-alone. Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT