My Friend is Sad (An Elephant and Piggie Book)

A worried elephant is down in the dumps, so his best friend pig dresses up as a cowboy, a clown, and even a robot — but none of it seems to be the right kind of cheering up.

For the kid who takes friendship seriously and wants to fix every sad face they see, this is a book about trying your best even when the first three ideas don't work.

• Big idea: Being a good friend sometimes means showing up again and again, even when your first tries miss the mark.
• Vibes: Deadpan, tender, and quietly funny — big feelings in very few words.

• love simple dialogue-only stories
• are working on recognizing and naming feelings
• like to act out costumes and characters
• respond well to short, expressive sentences and speech bubbles

• Feelings & empathy: Why do you think Gerald was so sad at the start of the book?
• Story & problem-solving: Why do you think none of Piggie's costumes worked to cheer Gerald up right away?
• Real-life connection: What do you do when you want to cheer up a sad friend?
• Imagination: If you could dress up as anything to make a friend smile, what would you pick?
• Character insight: What does Piggie's costume idea tell you about how much she cares about Gerald?