We are proud Mo Willems brand ambassadors! This post is a part of our paid partnership with Disney-Hyperion.
I’ve shared this a few times before here on the blog and over on Instagram but four years ago when my son was born my daughter didn’t immediately bond with him or seem to enjoy being a big sister. It made me sad but within a short time frame, I figured out a few ways to help them bond with each other and I know those things were working when my son’s little eyes would follow my daughter’s voice as she sang and jumped around in her three-year-old glory. One of the things that I did was to read a few books to them every day, I would either read to them at home or take them to the library for storytime. One day when my son was about 8 months old, I took them to storytime at the library and the librarian read New York Times best-selling author and illustrator, Mo Willems Today I will Fly (An Elephant and Piggie Book). My daughter laughed so hard during the reading of the story that she made her brother laugh too and it was such a beautiful moment that I decided we NEEDED that book. I went home and ordered it and it quickly became a favorite at our home and soon we started purchasing more and more of the books. By the time my son turned one the kids bookcase was filled with a collection of Elephant and Piggie books. It’s been three years and they still laugh at those stories as if it’s the first time hearing them.
Now that we’re preparing to welcome their baby sister, I thought it was only right that they bond over their favorite characters Elephant & Piggie but this time getting their creative juices going with the Mo Willems new book and the first activity book in the series We Are in an ART-ivity Book! which is now in stores.
When we received #MoMail a few Fridays ago with this book the kids instantly went into action doing many of the inspiring activities in the book. It’s only natural that as huge fans of the Elephant and Piggie series they would enjoy this activity book. I mean did you see them when they had the opportunity to meet Elephant and Piggie?
My daughter has been trying to draw the characters by herself for a few months now so she was glad when she discovered tutorials to draw both Elephant and Piggie in We Are in an ART-ivity Book! with the help of Elephant and Piggie’s new friend Art Vaark. As a mom, I love that throughout the book Art introduces kids to different artistic styles: a “banana” still life, a color-by-number Piggie “Scream” painting and a scrap-paper collage with fun activities for reinforcement. She started first by doing the My Banana Activity and then she moved on to drawing Piggie and then Gerald.
What I love is that the kids worked together, my son kept reminding my daughter to add Piggie’s eyes and don’t forget her legs. They make such a cool team and I love that there are so many activities in this book that they can do together, with me or independently especially in those first few weeks after the baby arrives and she needs a little extra attention. It’s like a regular kids activity book as it really teaches children valuable art lessons along with the activities. They can express themselves, learn about art and continue to bond with each other.
What do you think about her drawing?
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