More balls ("BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK!.") isn't the answer, but then Piggie has an idea (illustrated by a compact fluorescent light bulb) that provides the ideal solution.
This awkward moment resolves with the three friends trying to play catch, with predictable results ("BONK!"). But." "We are playing catch," Piggie explains.
"You do not want to play with me?" Snake asks sadly. Gerald and Piggie decide to play catch, but when Snake slithers up asking to play too, they are a bit dubious. The latest Elephant and Piggie book displays all the snappy pacing and wry humor readers have come to expect of the Geisel Medal winning series, with a valuable lesson in friendship and flexibility tucked inside. Snake happily says, "Whee!" to which Piggy replies, "I love playing catch with my friends!" While all ends on a positive note, Jeanne Willis's Susan Laughs (Holt, 2000) and Grace Maccarone's The Gym Day Winner (Scholastic, 1996) offer more respectful treatments of inclusion.
Then Piggy gets the idea to use Snake as the ball. Then Elephant decides, "Maybe we need more balls," and the next spread shows Elephant and Piggy bombarding Snake with balls, each one hitting him with a "BONK!" and Snake upside down in anguish. Piggy follows suit, with the same result. On the next page, Snake diffuses his rejection by saying, "Hee-hee! Ha-ha! Hee-hee! Ha-ha! Hee-hee! I know I do not have arms./I am a snake." Elephant asks, "But can a snake play catch?" The story moves from clever to cruel as Elephant throws the ball and hits Snake on the head, and the reptile's expressions indicate distress. Piggy breaks the silence stating, "You don't have arms!" and Snake dejectedly slithers away. Simple gestures and facial expressions convey Elephant's embarrassment at Snake's inability to catch a ball. Before they begin, Snake asks to join them. This beginning reader focuses on differently abled animals as Elephant and Piggy get ready for a game of catch.
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