What do you think?
Rate this book
Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! #2
We Are Growing!
Walt and his friends are growing up! Everyone is the something-est. But . . . what about Walt? He is not the tallest, or the curliest, or the silliest. He is not the anything-est! As a BIG surprise inches closer, Walt discovers something special of his own!
64 pages, Hardcover
First published September 20, 2016
11 people are currently reading
828 people want to read
About the author
Laurie Keller
38 books118 followersLaurie Keller grew up in Muskegon, Michigan. She always loved to draw, paint and write stories. She spent much of her time performing in a local dance tour company and dancing in and choreographing some civic theatre shows.
She graduated several years later with a BFA in Illustration. She also got a job as a greeting card illustrator at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Missouri. She is the author and illustrator of many children's books.
She graduated several years later with a BFA in Illustration. She also got a job as a greeting card illustrator at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Missouri. She is the author and illustrator of many children's books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 505 reviews
December 29, 2017
Very good children's book about grass growing. It is told thru the eyes of a child elephant and pig. The grass starts growing and compares themselves to each other. Funny and enjoyable.
Quote:
I just grew. All by myself. Cool, huh?
We are ALL the SOMETHING-EST!
Quote:
I just grew. All by myself. Cool, huh?
We are ALL the SOMETHING-EST!
October 7, 2017
Each blade of grass grows and finds their unique quality that sets them apart - but what about Walt? Great book for children who are trying to retain their individuality even as they explore their role in a widening group.
May 20, 2016
I love this new series! I can't wait to share it with students in the fall! Kids are going to love it!!
May 26, 2016
I was really discombobulated by the framing narrative of Elephant and Piggie, like it wasn't enough that Mo Willems has his own brand of beginning readers but they also must include his characters introducing the story.
The actual story is about grass growing, and how each blade of grass is becoming a different superlative (tallest, curliest, etc). When one blade of grass (Walt--presumably named as a nod to knowing parents who read LEAVES OF GRASS) doesn't know what he is, he has an identity crisis. The lawn mower is a great equalizer, however, and shows how everyone can be similar while being the "-est" at something.
I'm disappointed by the presentation (framing technique) and the execution of this narrative, which I think could have been a bit more nuanced and a little less "everybody gets a trophy" while still introducing the topic of superlatives.
Not my favorite beginning reader.
The actual story is about grass growing, and how each blade of grass is becoming a different superlative (tallest, curliest, etc). When one blade of grass (Walt--presumably named as a nod to knowing parents who read LEAVES OF GRASS) doesn't know what he is, he has an identity crisis. The lawn mower is a great equalizer, however, and shows how everyone can be similar while being the "-est" at something.
I'm disappointed by the presentation (framing technique) and the execution of this narrative, which I think could have been a bit more nuanced and a little less "everybody gets a trophy" while still introducing the topic of superlatives.
Not my favorite beginning reader.
October 30, 2016
This new series is simply terrific. Elephant and Piggie do an intro then a variety of authors/illustrators take over for each book. Love it! And so will the children.
February 7, 2017
I am the neatest too!
February 28, 2017
Love this new Elephant and Piggie approved series. :)
December 12, 2018
Read to us by our Lamby (6).
February 28, 2018
This was scads better than the cookie one. Less busy in pictures so I could follow the story and speech bubbles more easily. Hilarious, too. I don't think I will ever mow the yard the same way again. This will be fun to read in storytime.
11/1/16-11/3/16 Used this at elementary school visits. Read it to one 1st and both Kindergarten classes. The first grade liked this a little better than K, but K still liked because it was very like E&P. Pointing out the mower coming was great in all 3. Their faces as they comprehended. *sigh*
2/21/18 Used in literacy moment. They looked for the all uppercase letter words and then chose one letter to write on the white board. Lots of newbies and not many wanted to try. But my regulars enjoyed. Were able to keep reading the book after only a few pages, so they were able to get the overall story and they enjoyed. Especially the dandelion.
2/25/18 Read for a bedtime with SS since SD said we'd already read it to her. (Maybe I read it to her last year and it's one of the many I forgot to record.)
11/1/16-11/3/16 Used this at elementary school visits. Read it to one 1st and both Kindergarten classes. The first grade liked this a little better than K, but K still liked because it was very like E&P. Pointing out the mower coming was great in all 3. Their faces as they comprehended. *sigh*
2/21/18 Used in literacy moment. They looked for the all uppercase letter words and then chose one letter to write on the white board. Lots of newbies and not many wanted to try. But my regulars enjoyed. Were able to keep reading the book after only a few pages, so they were able to get the overall story and they enjoyed. Especially the dandelion.
2/25/18 Read for a bedtime with SS since SD said we'd already read it to her. (Maybe I read it to her last year and it's one of the many I forgot to record.)
November 14, 2016
I would never have guessed that a book about blades of grass could be so funny. Each of the blades of grass in this book are delighted to discover that as they grow they develop a unique characteristic that makes them the 'est'. Curliest, tallest, silliest, or pointiest, each blade of grass is pleased that he/she is the best at something. Such a simple story line and yet so very profound. Who doesn't like to be the best at something, adult or child? Yet Walt can't seem to find anything that he is the best at, at least not until he and the other blades of grass face off with a lawn mower and must deal with the consequences. A funny, and yet surprisingly thoughtful take on the human desire to be appreciated for being the best at something.
October 1, 2016
This is a fun picture book written from the point of view of growing blades of grass. As they notice their own growth, the begin comparing themselves to each other. They all celebrate their special qualities until the lawn mower comes around! Bold, humorous illustrations, along with simple text, will make this a popular book with young readers.
August 7, 2016
The most fun I've ever had watching grass grow! ;)
September 22, 2016
This is great! Could've been rather gruesome. It's important to explain to children that they will not grow back.
January 11, 2020
Hilarious! If you like Elephant and Piggie, this is a great subset of their world!
September 29, 2020
This is cute, funny, and shorter than I expected. I guess I can start getting JE books for Alena.
January 27, 2017
From our Bookends Blog postfeaturing Elephant and Piggie Like Reading series:
If you think watching the grass grow is boring, think again. The bug-eyed grass blades of Laurie Keller’s We are Growing! (2016) impart humor and drama where there was none before.
Although the blades start out at the same height, one has a growth spurt. The others are amazed and a kerfuffle ensues, but his boasting soon gets old, especially as his peers begin to grow taller. In short order, everyone is growing and bragging about their unique attributes. Alas, one stunted blade is left out of all the boasting—until someone mows the lawn.
We Are Growing is the perfect story to cheer up a kid who hasn’t lost his first tooth or reached another, similar milestone. Elephant and Piggie come up with their own reason to brag in the book’s closing pages, one that might spur children to find a way to grow as readers.
Congrats on the 2o17 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award!
If you think watching the grass grow is boring, think again. The bug-eyed grass blades of Laurie Keller’s We are Growing! (2016) impart humor and drama where there was none before.
Although the blades start out at the same height, one has a growth spurt. The others are amazed and a kerfuffle ensues, but his boasting soon gets old, especially as his peers begin to grow taller. In short order, everyone is growing and bragging about their unique attributes. Alas, one stunted blade is left out of all the boasting—until someone mows the lawn.
We Are Growing is the perfect story to cheer up a kid who hasn’t lost his first tooth or reached another, similar milestone. Elephant and Piggie come up with their own reason to brag in the book’s closing pages, one that might spur children to find a way to grow as readers.
Congrats on the 2o17 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award!
July 21, 2017
The librarian suggested this book to me yesterday. Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie series is finished, however, they are back reading books from other authors in a new series "Elephant and Piggie Like Reading" (this is number 2 in the series).
The book starts with Elephant and Piggie reading the book "We Are Growing." Then we get into the book which introduces us to a bunch of blades of grass which start to grow. As the grow, they decide that they are the "curliest" or the "crunchiest" and so on except for one blade of grass who isn't sure what he is. And then the lawnmower comes.....
The girls loved this book and it was just as entertaining to read to them as the Elephant and Piggie books.
The book starts with Elephant and Piggie reading the book "We Are Growing." Then we get into the book which introduces us to a bunch of blades of grass which start to grow. As the grow, they decide that they are the "curliest" or the "crunchiest" and so on except for one blade of grass who isn't sure what he is. And then the lawnmower comes.....
The girls loved this book and it was just as entertaining to read to them as the Elephant and Piggie books.
February 6, 2017
We Are Growing is an adorable young children's picture book. It won a Giesel Award and justly so! It's such a simple but cute story about growing up. Each of the blades of grass recognize something special about themselves but Walt struggles to figure out what special trait he has. And then the lawn mower mows through the blades of grass and they are all the same. In the end they realize they still all have something special about themselves. The story provides a positive message to young readers about appreciating who they are and how they are uniquely themselves.
August 20, 2017
In the tradition of Mo Willems, featuring commentary by Elephant & Piggie. This book is more fun than watching grass grow (although that's precisely the subject of the book). WE ARE GROWING! offers a unique perspective on growth, personal discovery, appreciation for differences and working in a group.
January 22, 2019
The grass is growing, and each blade is discovering its defining feature (tallest, curliest, etc.) but Walt isn’t sure what he is. What will happen when the lawn mower comes by? Varied shades of green and ‘hairstyles’ differentiate the blades of grass in this amusing early reader. Age 4+.
Original thoughts: This book is hilarious. I also love the illustrations because they’re my favourite shade of green.
Original thoughts: This book is hilarious. I also love the illustrations because they’re my favourite shade of green.
January 30, 2017
If you can't read a new Elephant and Piggie (and you can't), then an Elephant & Piggies endorsed book is the next best thing! This just announced Theodore Geisel award winner by Laurie Keller fits the bill. Who knew blades of grass could have so much personality and charm. I read this to my knitting group, ages 9 - 70 and it was a hit.
February 13, 2017
This is the second installment in the Elephant and Piggie like to read series, but the first I've read. Though Mo Willems didn't write it, the book has his wit and brilliant sense of humor. I'm excited about this series!
December 4, 2016
Author Laurie Keller has created a book that makes growing grass interesting. Amazing! Those who are looking for funny books will like this one.
February 5, 2017
Just a fun book with a quiet lesson. And anyway, I'm in love with Mo Willems and Elephant and Piggie.
February 8, 2017
A silly and clever book for beginning readers. My 1st grader and preschooler LOVE this book. A great addition to the Elephant and Piggie series.
September 6, 2017
First sentence: BOING! What was that? I think I just grew! LOOK! Wow! You did grow! Look at that! I just grew. All by myself. Cool, huh? I know, I know. I made it look EASY. But growing is HARD WORK. In fact--
Premise/plot: Usually when someone says a book is as exciting as watching grass grow it's a bad thing. It means the book is slow, boring. Not so in Laurie Keller's new early reader, We Are Growing. Readers get the chance to watch eight blades of grass grow--each in their own special way at their own special pace. The book is melodramatic--there is even an identity crisis. Is it a little too over the top?
My thoughts: Do books have to have an embedded meaning, a moral lesson, a social message to disperse? Can you overthink a book? At its simplest, Gerald and Piggie are sharing a book together, a book called We Are Growing!
At its most complex, I'm guessing an optimist, a pessimist, and a realist would walk away with a different impression on what it all means.
One possible message of the book is that we're all something special and unique. We all deserve to have an "est" to describe ourselves. Tallest. Curliest. Silliest. Etc. We're equally awesome. Is this message challenged by the end of the book? Should it be challenged?
The twist in this book is the lawn mower. The lawn mower comes--readers can catch the clues well in advance--and suddenly all the leaves of grass are the same height. They've lost their uniqueness. They've lost their bragging rights. They're stripped of their glory, their beauty. The one leaf of grass who was struggling to find himself, to find his "est" is the only one left with an est. He looks around him, sees the mess--the mowed grass, and does something about it. Because he cleans up his mess--and everyone else's mess as well--he's the neatest. I couldn't help noticing that all the other descriptive words were superficial and based on appearances. Only the "neatest" label comes from within.
The blades of grass are silly and not all that smart. They don't see the big picture. They don't see what's coming--the lawn mower. They don't know--without being told--that they'll grow again another day. They're quick to brag and boast though. They're quick to take credit for something that is out of their control--growing. They don't know that all grass share an equal fate--a fate worse than a lawn mower when all is said and done.
The Bible on occasion describes people as being grass.
For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. James 1:11
As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; Psalm 103:15
The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:7-9
I do think its entirely possible to overthink a book. One shouldn't have to discern the meaning of the lawn mower in order to find a powerful message about how to live life.
Premise/plot: Usually when someone says a book is as exciting as watching grass grow it's a bad thing. It means the book is slow, boring. Not so in Laurie Keller's new early reader, We Are Growing. Readers get the chance to watch eight blades of grass grow--each in their own special way at their own special pace. The book is melodramatic--there is even an identity crisis. Is it a little too over the top?
My thoughts: Do books have to have an embedded meaning, a moral lesson, a social message to disperse? Can you overthink a book? At its simplest, Gerald and Piggie are sharing a book together, a book called We Are Growing!
At its most complex, I'm guessing an optimist, a pessimist, and a realist would walk away with a different impression on what it all means.
One possible message of the book is that we're all something special and unique. We all deserve to have an "est" to describe ourselves. Tallest. Curliest. Silliest. Etc. We're equally awesome. Is this message challenged by the end of the book? Should it be challenged?
The twist in this book is the lawn mower. The lawn mower comes--readers can catch the clues well in advance--and suddenly all the leaves of grass are the same height. They've lost their uniqueness. They've lost their bragging rights. They're stripped of their glory, their beauty. The one leaf of grass who was struggling to find himself, to find his "est" is the only one left with an est. He looks around him, sees the mess--the mowed grass, and does something about it. Because he cleans up his mess--and everyone else's mess as well--he's the neatest. I couldn't help noticing that all the other descriptive words were superficial and based on appearances. Only the "neatest" label comes from within.
The blades of grass are silly and not all that smart. They don't see the big picture. They don't see what's coming--the lawn mower. They don't know--without being told--that they'll grow again another day. They're quick to brag and boast though. They're quick to take credit for something that is out of their control--growing. They don't know that all grass share an equal fate--a fate worse than a lawn mower when all is said and done.
The Bible on occasion describes people as being grass.
For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. James 1:11
As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; Psalm 103:15
The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:7-9
I do think its entirely possible to overthink a book. One shouldn't have to discern the meaning of the lawn mower in order to find a powerful message about how to live life.
June 24, 2017
Cute! Elephant and Piggie are reading a favorite book about grass growing. That doesn't sound like the most interesting of topics; however, this grass has PERSONALITY! As they begin to grow, they notice that one is the curliest grass. Another is the crunchiest. Another is the tallest and so on. Except one blade of grass doesn't seem to have any identifying or unique characteristics. That blade feels left out...until something happens to help him determine what makes him special.
Read
June 7, 2018“What do you see? (shows front cover) Yes, they’re blades of grass. What do you notice about them? If they’re all grass, how come they don’t look the same? As everyone is growing up, they find out who they are except Walt isn’t sure who or what he is. Let’s read and see if he finds out.”
For my opening moves, I allow raise questions to engage the children with the story. I laid the ground work to help children understand theme because “watching grass grow” may seem too little/ boring of a story for children to grasp.
For my opening moves, I allow raise questions to engage the children with the story. I laid the ground work to help children understand theme because “watching grass grow” may seem too little/ boring of a story for children to grasp.
November 5, 2017
Probably 3.5 stars. I bumped it up because I laughed out loud a couple of times.
May 30, 2018
Super cute book about finding what makes you special and not getting hung up on not being the same as others. Or not measuring up to their standard.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 505 reviews