History Literature / ElephantAndPiggie

The books center on two FunnyAnimal friends, Gerald the elephant [[ADogNamedDog and Piggie the pig]]. Each book tends to center on everyday activities, often addressing issues of friendship along the way. While Gerald is a down-to-earth realist, Piggie is an eternal optimist, and the difference between the two personalities often drives the dialog.

-->'''Gerald:''' "You will not fly today. You will not fly tomorrow. You will not fly next week. YOU WILL NEVER FLY!"

-->'''Piggie:''' "I will try."

->''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.''

!! Other books in the series demonstrate the following tropes:

* ExcitedShowTitle: Many of the book titles end in exclamation points.

* BilingualAnimal: "Happy Pig Day" reveals that Piggie can oink as well as speaking.

* MediumAwareness: Like in ''Literature/WeAreInABook'', Elephant & Piggie realize towards the end of the stage show "We Are in a Play" that they are in a play, hence the title. They then realize that if they are in a play, then can, in Piggie's word, manipulate the audience by making them do things like saying what they say, or dancing.

* AbormalAllergy: Subverted in "Pigs Make Me Sneeze!", where Gerald thinks he's allergic to pigs but he actually has a cold.

* AnAesop: Once per book, though usually in a very subtle way.

* AnimalsNotToScale: A real elephant would be five times the size of a real pig.
* ArentYouForgettingSomeone: This is the essential premise of ''The Thank You Book''. Piggie is thanking as many people as possible, but Gerald is convinced that there's someone she's forgetting to thank. [[spoiler:It initially seems that Gerald is the one Piggie is forgetting, but Gerald was actually referring to the ''[[BreakingTheFourthWall reader]]''.]]

* BackForTheFinale: The last book in the series, ''The Thank You Book'', features appearances from all of the characters who have appeared over the course of the previous books. [[spoiler: Including [[BreakingTheFourthWall the reader]].]]

* BigNo[=/=]BigWordShout: Often from Gerald, but sometimes from Piggie too, like in "Can I Play Too?", in which Piggie refuses to accept that their new friend Snake can't play catch with them.
* BreakingTheFourthWall: Each of the books usually has at least one moment per book where Piggie looks directly at the reader and snarks a bit. Additionally, in ''The Thank You Book'', Gerald is concerned that Piggie is forgetting to thank someone. It seems to become fairly obvious that the person Piggie is forgetting to thank is [[spoiler:Gerald himself]], the twist is that Piggie is forgetting to thank [[spoiler:the reader(s). So they both do.]]
* BrickJoke: Very commonly, per book.

* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: A recurring characteristic of Gerald and Piggie's dynamic. It also forms the plot of "My Friend Is Sad".
* TheCloudCuckoolanderWasRight: See the first example under CrazyPrepared below.

-->'''Gerald:''' What if it's a costume party?
-->''[{{Beat}}; Piggie [[AsideGlance gives the reader a skeptical look]]]''
-->'''Piggie:''' A fancy pool costume party?
-->'''Gerald:''' WE MUST BE READY!

* ExcitedShowTitle: Many of the book titles.

* {{Facepalm}}: In the ''Elephant & Piggie Like Reading!'' book ''Harold & Hog PRETEND FOR REAL!'', Hog double facepalms after Harold says that he is going to be careful while smiling and dancing and flying, pointing out that Gerald would never smile and dance and fly all at the same time.

* GenkiGirl: Piggie.

* HugeGuyTinyGirl
* ICantDance: Gerald, as seen in "Elephants Cannot Dance".

* IdeaBulb: Piggie gets one in ''Can I Play Too?'' when she and Gerald are trying to figure out how their new friend, a snake, wants to play catch. Naturally, since this is a hip, modern series, it's a [=CFL=].
* IronicEcho
* ItsALongStory: Gerald tells Piggie this in ''I Broke My Trunk!'' when asked about how he broke his trunk. The book [[{{Bookends}} ends]] with Piggie telling another friend the exact same line after she breaks her own snout in a manner similar to Gerald's.
* KindheartedSimpleton: Piggie plays this role from time to time.
* LoopholeAbuse: Invoked in "Can I Play Too?"; when Gerald and Piggie are playing catch, a snake asks to join them, despite his lack of appendages. [[spoiler:Gerald and Piggie end up throwing the snake between them.]]
-->"I love playing catch with my friends!"

* OnlySaneMan: Gerald often sees himself as this.
* PlatonicLifePartners: Gerald and Piggie.

* RainRainGoAway: Drives the plot in "Are You Ready to Play Outside?"

* ThankingTheViewer: "The Thank You Book" ends, after Piggie has thanked every character to ever appear in the books, with Piggie thanking the reader, making this a CallBack to "We Are in A Book".