Drill Cart fun...

If you couldn't make it to this year's National Library Drill Cart Competition, the magic of the Information Super Highway brings it to your home...

1st place:



2nd place:




3rd place:




Please note that if myself and Jon Scieszka are incomprehensible on tape that's because we were incomprehensible in real life. It's our schtick.

Rock on.

Quadruple Sooper Sneak Peek!

He's got socks!

Due in stores this fall (I think)... from yottoy.

Thanks...

to you Elephant and Piggie's Elephants Cannot Dance! spends its 6th week on the New York Times Bestseller list at #6! Insane.

It's also at #8 on the PW list along with this nice blurb about the Pigeon's tweeting at ALA.



Thanks all!


(oh, and let's not forget a strange endorsement --3rd letter down)

Yay Foreign editions!

Multiple boxes arrive at the studio?

I can only mean one thing: the Korean books are in!


Yup, there are now Korean editions of all the Pigeon books and Knuffle Bunny Too (complete with iridescent pages).

Will these new tomes lower the tension between North and South? Only time will tell.



Huzzah!

Summer Hours Have Begun (really)...

My posts will vary in frequency for the rest of the summer so that I can attend to a big book project, not to mention stealing a few moments for tromping through the fields and tromping to the dermatologist for the ensuing unpleasant rashes...

Here's wishing you an itch-free summer!

Thanks...

to you, Elephant and Piggie's Elephants Cannot Dance! hangs in there on the NY Times Bestseller list for its 5th week at #10. Thanks, you!

Goin' National!

I'm happy to announce that I've been included with Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, Kate DiCamillo, Shannon Hale, Craig Hatkoff, Lois Lowry, Megan McDonald, Sharon Robinson, Kadir Nelson, Charles Santore, Jon Scieszka and David Shannon as a presenter at this year's National Book Festival in September 26 in Washington, DC.

More details to follow, but it's going to be great fun as all the other guests are pals except the two I haven't met (boy, I hope they'll be my pals, too).

You can check out how much fun I had 3 years ago by clicking on the webcast button on this page.

"Hey, Let's Play 'Don't Go to School'!"

And while we're at it, check out this one:



I met the lady who did this one at ALA a few days ago. Nice work all!

I'm Back...

from Chicago and the ALA Conference madness...

The family had a great time visiting with friends, checking out new books, and hangin' with fans. Chicago is an awesome town.

I had great fun at the Art Institute and the Convention Floor signings and bumped into author/illustrator pals Jackie Woodson, Jon Scieszka, Mac Barnett, Kadir Nelson, Laura Seeger, Brian Selznick, Mark Teague, Walter Myers, Peter McCarty, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Sean Qualls, Selina Alko, and tons more.

The Geisel Awards were a blast, with the bonus of awesome speeches by Kadir and Weston Woods' Paul Gagne for their respective medal wins this year.

How was the Library Cart Drill Team National Finals? Well, this is me and National Ambassador for Children's Literature Jon Scieszka at work:



And this is NPR's All Thing Considered reporting about the wacky event.

If you want a more disgruntled view of the events, check out the Pigeon's tweets throughout the weekend.

Thanks to everyone I bumped into for your friendliness.

(Note: my daughter is wearing her Delaware pin in solidarity with the Delaware Diamonds. Don't stop, Diamonds!)

I'm off!

To Chicago for the American Librarian Association convention. I'll be speaking at the Art Institute, signing, hosting a library cart competition, running into pals, and accepting the 2009 Geisel Medal for Elephant and Piggie's Are You Ready To Play Outside?
My schedule is here.

While I won't be able to recap anything until I get back from Chicago next week, the Pigeon will be tweeting (coo-ing?) throughout the events at The_Pigeon.

(Note: as of this writing, the Pigeon has almost 300 followers and hasn't posted a word yet. Rest assured as soon as he begins posting, that number will drop precipitously...)

If you're around, drop by and say 'hello'.

Is that 'Tweet' or 'Coo'?

Those of you in the Mo Know are aware that I'll be hoofing it to Chicago late this week for the American Library Association convention and a public appearance at the Chicago Art Institute.

But here's news, my frustrated creation, The Pigeon will also be flying in and Twittering (Tweeting? Twirping? Ranting?) live from the convention.

Frankly, I don't quite know how all of this works, but starting Friday, July 10 you can follow The Pigeon's most intimate thoughts about buses, puppies, hot dogs, and staying up late via Twitter as "The_Pigeon".

Even more frankly, I have no idea what to expect, except that it won't be good for me...

Thanks...

...to you Elephant and Piggie's latest, Elephants Cannot Dance!, hits the New York Times Bestseller list for its 3rd week, clocking in at #6.

Thanks, you.

Happy Birthday, USA...

And also to Louis Armstrong (America at its best...)

Ahhh... Fan Mail

Warms the heart, no?

I Love Foreign Editions...

It's always nice to open up the old mail bag and see this:


Simplified Chinese versions of Elephant and Piggie are available now!

Let me introduce you...

I'm excited to see the cover of Richard Thompson's brand new collection of Cul De Sac Cartoons and not just because I got to write the introduction to the book.



Mr. Thompson's comic is a joy to read (except when I'm thrown into fits of jealous rage at his astounding draftsmanship and pitch-perfect humor) and I'm flattered that my second introduction for a book could be of my second favorite strip (my first was for Peanuts).

Do pick up a copy when it comes out in September; it's awesome.