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Elephant & Piggie #14

I Broke My Trunk!

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Gerald is careful. Piggie is not.

Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can.

Gerald worries so that Piggie does not have to.



Gerald and Piggie are best friends.

In I Broke My Trunk! Gerald tells Piggie the long, crazy story about breaking his trunk. Will Piggie end up with a long, crazy story of her own?

Once again, Mo Willems creates another hilarious escapade starring the Geisel Award-winning duo. Vetted by an early-learning specialist, I Broke My Trunk! will have readers breaking into laughter left and right!

64 pages, Hardcover

First published February 8, 2011

35 people are currently reading
1786 people want to read

About the author

Mo Willems

231 books4,113 followers
#1 New York Times Bestselling author and illustrator Mo Willems is best known for his Caldecott Honor winning picture books Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Knuffle Bunny: a cautionary tale.

In addition to such picture books as Leonardo the Terrible Monster, Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct, and Time to Pee, Mo has created the Elephant and Piggie books, a series of early readers, and published You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When it Monsoons, an annotated cartoon journal sketched during a year-long voyage around the world in 1990-91.

The New York Times Book Review called Mo “the biggest new talent to emerge thus far in the 00's."

Mo’s work books have been translated into a myriad of languages, spawned animated shorts and theatrical musical productions, and his illustrations, wire sculpture, and carved ceramics have been exhibited in galleries and museums across the nation.

Mo began his career as a writer and animator for television, garnering 6 Emmy awards for his writing on Sesame Street, creating Nickelodeon's The Off-Beats, Cartoon Network’s Sheep in the Big City and head-writing Codename: Kids Next Door.

He lives in Brooklyn, New York with his family.

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5 stars
3,843 (57%)
4 stars
1,969 (29%)
3 stars
740 (11%)
2 stars
119 (1%)
1 star
47 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 575 reviews
Profile Image for Matt.
4,834 reviews13.1k followers
July 1, 2018
Elephant and Piggie is a series that proves not only entertaining, but also one that will help the young reader hone the necessary skills to develop into a strong reader. When Gerald shows up with his trunk completely bandaged, Piggie wonders what’s happened. As Gerald begins to recount the tale, Piggie wonders if each part is the reason his trunk is broken. Alas, Gerald’s story is crazy and somewhat long-winded. When Piggie finally learns the outcome, she is so shocked that she has to tell others, only to suffer a similar fate herself. Neo had a chuckle at this one, as we split the reading roles of Gerald and Piggie. We have a small pile of books left and I can see this portion of our holiday will be filled with more series reading.
Profile Image for Sophia Triad.
2,241 reviews3,766 followers
January 16, 2019
Oh I loved this one!
How many animals and things can Gerald lift with his trunk before it breaks?
One hippopotamus?
Two hippopotamuses?
A rhinoceros?
A piano?

Sometimes with the children at the car we tell the story by heart without the book. You can hear giggling every single time.
Profile Image for Archit.
826 reviews3,200 followers
August 8, 2017
Mo WIllems' Elephant & Piggie series is cute, funny and delightful!
Profile Image for sAmAnE.
1,369 reviews153 followers
July 12, 2025
مصداق خودت رو برای کسی خرج نکن....
Profile Image for Miranda Reads.
1,765 reviews165k followers
December 8, 2020
A young elephant named Gerald meets up with his best friend, Piggie.

And Piggie immediately notices something is completely different about Gerald.

Gerald's nose is broken.

So of course, Piggie has to ask what happened.

And the story that is told...let's just say you have to read it to believe it.

This was a short, fun book.

There were such few words in this little book and yet it captured so many emotions and nuances from the story.

I thought the illustrations were perfect - they flawlessly captured so much tension and excitement.

All in all - I really enjoyed this one! It was a fabulous addition to the series!

YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
Profile Image for Mobina.
163 reviews6 followers
August 1, 2025
چقد ناز بود. تصویرسازیش هم خیلی قشنگ بود دوسش داشتم
Profile Image for Scarlet Cameo.
667 reviews409 followers
December 13, 2016
These prove that you can do tons of awesome things but the simplest always can go wrong XD but the road to that point is so long and fascinating that worth all the effort



Profile Image for Joseph Brink.
Author 2 books63 followers
February 24, 2022
Sorry, all my followers for all the picture book spam... XD No, I'm not embarrassed to have you all know that I love picture books.

This book is an ode to storytellers everywhere. I saw that ending coming but it still caught me off guard when it came. XD

Mo Willems is both a brilliant storyteller and a brilliant artist. Seriously, I don't get how he manages to convey so much through the facial expressions and body language of his characters!

Profile Image for Karis.
135 reviews62 followers
October 29, 2018
Have you ever been told a tale and think you have how the story ends figured out in your head? Well, this happens to Piggie as he listens to his friend Gerald tell how he broke his truck. What really happened will have you laughing and awwwing a little over the sweet bond displayed between these two friends.

Adorable and another excellent read in the Piggie & Elephant series.
Profile Image for Sweet on Books.
96 reviews5 followers
March 4, 2011
* It's always a cause for celebration when a new Elephant & Piggie is released!
* The way Willems' deft illustrations convey exactly what the character is feeling, without the need for words, is really nothing short of genius.
* In a few short pages, with spare prose, Willems has created a suspenseful story that will have you and your young
reader hooked from start to finish.
* Your young reader should be able to read it by themselves after only a few shared readings.
* For all those pigeon fans out there, check out the end-papers (the inside, back cover of the books). Pigeon makes a guest appearance!
======================================================
In I Broke My Trunk, Piggie and Gerald take on their usual (hilarious) roles. Piggie, in all her exuberance, would like to know how Gerald hurt his trunk. Gerald, in his usual dramatic fashion, tells the story of how it happened. It involves hippos, rhinos and a large piano. It's a CRAZY story! And one that will have you and your young reader rolling around laughing. Mr. Willems just doesn't disappoint! It boggles the mind, just how many books can this genius produce? Next Elephant and Piggie to be released June 2011. Not soon enough.
Profile Image for Grace.
23 reviews
May 19, 2018
Grace liked her story about an elephant with a broken trunk to go along with her broken arm.
Profile Image for midnightfaerie.
2,269 reviews130 followers
July 20, 2013
We love Mo Willems! I think we'll get this whole collection for the kids for Christmas because they all like him. This one was no exception and it was the book we used to introduce Willems to Grandma. Even she clapped her hands in delight as she watched the kids giggle at the silly story about how Gerald broke his trunk. Not enough words to make it a level 1 book, but still a great read for the whole family.
Profile Image for Amir.Rashwnd.
61 reviews14 followers
December 10, 2022
چقدر باحاله واقعا ترجمه ام کمک کرده اتفاقل بهش
Profile Image for Eileen.
2,407 reviews137 followers
February 16, 2022
Me encanta el autor, Mo Willems. Es divertido y sus ilustraciones son maravillosas! En esta historia, Geraldo se ha rota la rompa y Cerdita quiere saber como se lo ha roto. Geraldo cuenta una historia muy larga y divertida al respecto.
Profile Image for Shabnam_wr.
127 reviews7 followers
February 25, 2025
روایت خنده دار و جالبی بود ، همین.
Profile Image for Grace Huey.
69 reviews3 followers
April 9, 2020
No help needed: happened, idea, heavy, showed, piano, snout

Help needed: lifted

Charlotte thinks this one is funny, no comment from Grace.

Profile Image for Ashley.
143 reviews101 followers
May 12, 2015
This made me laugh more than it should have, I suspect. Mo Willems books always have a waitlist at my library, so whenever I come across a new-to-me one when shelving, I have to stop and read. The delightful art caught my eye today and so it was time to learn about a broken-trunked elephant. This story is very sweet and involves genuine humor, a great central friendship, some fun twists, characters who speak like real people instead of written characters, and no overbearing moral. It's just plain fun. And who doesn't love great illustrations of an elephant in ridiculous situations? It's a fun one; pick it up.
Profile Image for Savannah Mills.
6 reviews2 followers
September 26, 2018
I remember Mo Willems from my childhood! I love how this book only had dialogue and no narration. That way it’s easier to change voices along with the characters.
23 reviews1 follower
February 26, 2020
Genre: Easy-to-Read- Geisel Award/Honor Book
Awards: Geisel Honor Book
Audience: Ages 2-7

Summary: An elephant with a broken trunk explains the hilarious story about what happened to his trunk to his friend Piggie. The entire book is told through Elephant and Piggies conversation.

a. This book is an easy to read book because of the minimal amount of words used on each page. It is very kid friendly, and with a little bit of help with names, young children learning to read could read this book. The pictures on each page help explain what is going on to help the reader.

b. The entire artistic style of the book appealed to me. The art was subtle and allowed the reader to concentrate on the words, while still able to understand all the images at one glance.

c. I would use this book to work with new readers on their beginner reading skills. It’s a great story to start children with, and allow them to build their confidence, and still be able to laugh during it.
Profile Image for DomiCzytaPL.
682 reviews
March 20, 2017
Ups! Trąba złamana!

Świnka Malinka i Słoń Leon to para sympatycznych przyjaciół. Ona - wygadana i pełna pomysłów, on - nieco flegmatyczny, ale bardzo poczciwy. Uzupełniają się doskonale, spędzając razem czas i wciągając dzieci do wspólnej zabawy. W książce "Złamałem trąbę" Leon opowiada Malince historię kontuzji, w której ucierpiała jego trąba. Niecierpliwa Malinka ma pewne trudności ze spokojnym wysłuchaniem kolegi, ponieważ buduje on napięcie w baaardzo przedłużający się sposób ;)

Mo Willems - animator znany z Ulicy Sezamkowej czy kreskówek Cartoon Network - stworzył bardzo ciepłe i dowcipne książeczki, które są idealnym wyborem, jeśli chodzi o opowiadania na dobranoc, jak i do nauki samodzielnego czytania. Ala bardzo polubiła te zwierzaki i chętnie do nich wraca, podobnie jak jej mama.

Serdecznie polecamy! Za możliwość poznania twórczości Willemsa dziękujemy Wydawnictwu Babaryba.
Profile Image for Maria Rowe.
1,065 reviews15 followers
February 2, 2025
• 2012 Geisel Honor Book •

The Elephant and Piggie series is so delightful! The line art is so simple yet expressive and the typography is lovely. Another hit! Elephant tells his tale to Piggie of how he broke his trunk. Then Piggie rushes off to repeat the story and suffers the same fate!

Materials used: unlisted

Typeface used: unlisted
Profile Image for Lindsey.
507 reviews5 followers
August 13, 2020
Loved the suspense! So cute! Holden was giggling hard by the end!
7 reviews
September 19, 2022
Best book of all time. No book could possibly be better. if you say you've read a better book you are wrong.
Profile Image for Kim Novak (The Reading Rx).
1,095 reviews23 followers
April 2, 2023
I picked this adorable book up for a baby shower. Whimsical and silly, even I giggled in the children’s section at B&N.
Profile Image for Leah.
65 reviews9 followers
November 2, 2024
5 stars bc duh 🥹 my sister read this to me real quick at Barnes and noble!
25 reviews
September 19, 2018
I broked my trunk. One day, I never seen my friend yet. *Gasp* What happened! I broke my trunk. How did that happen? I saw a hippo and he got on my trunk and was so heavy. How did you broke your trunk?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 575 reviews

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