DON'T PIGEONHOLE ME! publishes today!

Collecting 20 years of annual sketchbooks of cartoons and stories (including the orginal incarnation of DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS!), DON'T PIGEON HOLE ME! shows the evolution and experimentation of a beloved illustrators at his most personal, most raw, most Mo.

I hope you enjoy this thick coffee table volume filled with 240 pages of comics, stories, ideas, and doodles. Complete with a forward by Eric Carle, contextual essasys by myself, and appreciations by some pals.  (Mo' info here)

Available at your favorite bookstore or library or here.

(note: not for the kiddies)

THANKS TO YOU! + listen in...

For the 3rd week, multiple books have made it on the New York Times Bestseller list!

This week is all about Elephant & Piggie. A BIG GUY TOOK MY BALL! lands on #4-

And LET'S GO FOR A DRIVE! is #8!

Thanks, YOU!

If you want to hear me chatting about the upcoming exhibit openings this weekend and mo', I'll be chatting with pal and neighbor Bill Newman on the Bill Newman Show LIVE @ 9am EST on Wed.  The show, I assume will also archive.

Fun and drawings at ILLUSTRATION MASTER CLASS

Amazing fantasy artist and pal Rebecca Guay has run the ILLUSTRATION MASTER CLASS seminar in Amherst MA for many years.  It's core faculty is amazing as well as special guests like Mike Mignola, Iain McCaig and James Gurney.

Last night pal Peter deSeve and I returned for an evening of guest lectures.

I didn't mention this on my appearances page because by the time I was booked for this the class had already sold out.  This being my 2nd appearance, I was again impressed  by the passion and ability of the students.  Their work was top notch.

Among the highlights of speaking is knowing that Jim Gureney and his wife, Jeanette, will characature you during your talk.

Sad, but true.

Thanks to Jeanette for making me thinner than I am.

 Their sketchbooks are things of beauty.

Mike Mignola, Peter DeSeve, and a fan.

Also the faculty dinner afterwards is incredible.  Everyone tells war stories and geeks out on their influences and collection of favorite artists and illustrators going back a few centuries.

Mike can DRAW.

What fun!

DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! musical in UK!

A reminder:

In the UK, a musical version of DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! continues its nationwide tour.  Check it out if you're in the area!



And if you're a Belgian and a kid, why not vote for SAM et PAM (City Dog/Country Frog in French) for
Le Prix Bernard Versele?

Mo' nice news...!

WOW.

THANKS to you, some wonderful news for all of us here at Knuffle Manor, Hyperion Books, and Balzer & Bray on this week's New York Times Bestseller List.  For the second week we have 3 titles on the list:

Elephant & Piggie's A BIG GUY TOOK MY BALL! at #2!

THAT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA! at #5!

and...

Elephant & Piggie's LET'S GO FOR A DRIVE!  at #9!

A BIG THANK YOU to YOU!






Some other fun stuff.  If you're near Bethlehem, PA, drop by the SouthSide Film Festival this weekend for some screenings of kids' films, including the animated versions of DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS!, KNUFFLE BUNNY FREE, THE PIGEON FINDS A HOTDOG! and EDWINA THE DINOSAUR WHO DIDN'T KNOW SHE WAS EXTINCT.

And the Dallas paper thinks of Knuffle Bunny this Father's Day.

Yesterday on TODAY

For those of you who missed it, the always affable Al Roker did a piece about my work and doodles on the TODAY show yesterday. For those of you who did see it, thanks for all the nice words either in person on the internet.

It was actually shot a few weeks back at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst and at Knuffle Manor.  Al is a great guy and long time supporter of cartoonists and animators, so we had many pals in common.  We also were influenced by Charles Schulz (Al did Sparky's final interview) and were lucky enough to share our love of Peanuts by writing intro's for volumes of the Complete Peanuts.



The shoot was a blast.  I got to read to kids, draw with them and... I got to doodle all over a giant paper set constructed at the Carle for our interview.  What fun!

Doodling at the dining room dinner table with a guest.  I do this a lot.

What a great big canvas!  Getting started.

The final set, built over many hours then doodled on in @ 10 minutes or so.

Everyone in the crew were, like Al, great fun to hang out with. If you want to see some behind the scenes shots of the process, the Carle has posted them here.  Also, if the screen below doesn't work, here's a link to the piece.  Enjoy.

 

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JUNE - JULY appearances!

Lots of fun and different appearances for this summer including two exhibits of my work in Northampton and Amherst, MA.  If you're in the area, please drop by to say "hello".

Friday, June 21, R Michelson Galleries, 132 Main St., Northampton, MA

8pm, Opening reception for DON'T PIGEONHOLE ME! Exhibit featuring adult work from the cartoon sketchbook anthology of the same name, plus some drawings, sculpture, ceramics and magnet constructions.

Mo' info at the R Michelson Gallery

Then the weekend fun moves over to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art at 125 West Bay Road in Amherst, MA for the opening weekend of Seriously Silly, a Decade of Art and Whimsy by Mo Willems

June 22, 2013

A Seriously Silly Celebration
 

10:00 am - 4:00 pm

A fun-filled day of special Mo Willems activities celebrating the opening of Seriously Silly:  A Decade of Art and Whimsy by Mo Willems Besides the exhibit itself, there will  be film screenings and photo opportunities with Elephant and Piggie! 

Open to all museum goers

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Members' Opening Reception
 

A drinks reception followed by a presentation and interview with the Carle's Head Curator, Nick Clark and myself.

Free to Members. Space is limited, please reserve early to membership@carlemuseum.org.

June 23, 2013

Mo' A Seriously Silly Celebration

12:00 pm - 5:00 pm

• Gallery Activities

• Draw a Pigeon and other Mo-related activities in the Art Studio

• Films in the Auditorium

• Storytimes featuring the adventures of Elephant and Piggie

1:00 Galley Tour with Mo Willems*

2:00 Book Signing

Open to all museum goers.

*Adults and children 10+. Space is limited; reservations required.

Book signing open to all. Members receive early line placement. 

And if that isn't Mo-tastic enough, I'll be visiting Chicago for the ALA Annual Conference and making a few signing appearances on the floor of convention center.  

Saturday June 29

9:30-10:30am, Disney-Hyperion Booth #2620

11:00am-12:00pm Harper Booth #tk

Monday, June 31

8:30 am, ALSC Awards Presentation and Membership Meeting.

I will be accepting a Geisel Honor for LET'S GO FOR A DRIVE! along with other ALSC Award winners.

(These events are open to convention attendees only) 

Then it's back to the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, MA for a final day of screenings and signings.

Saturday, July 13

1pm, Film screening and signing at the Carle.  We'll be screening some of the Weston Woods animated films based on my books, including a possible WORLD PREMIERE. I'll be on hand for a Q+A afterwards along with Weston Woods Producer and pal Paul Gagne.

2pm, There will be signing in the main atrium.


And that's it! These will mark my last public appearances for a while (my next ones will be in Dublin in October and Washington DC in November).