Halloween Notes...

Have a great Halloween. If you dress up as one of my characters this year, let us know at:

Mo Willems Fan Mail
c/0 Jennifer Crowell
Hyperion Books for Children and Pigeons
114 5th Ave 14th fl.
New York, NY 10011

If you're in Austin tomorrow, I'll see you (via computer) at the Texas Book Fest!

Happy Birthday to my mother!

Doodle: Park.

Mo' Stuff: BIG FROG CAN'T FIT IN! Stuffed Froggie!

Awwww....

The fine folks at YottoY have come out with their awesome stuffed version of the Pop-Out book BIG FROG CAN'T FIT IN!

Check out their site for all the Mo stuffies, and scroll down to see this 14' version of my latest character. (I saw some of the smaller ones today at my local Borders, and they're cool too!)

Puzzling...

A recent arrival to the mailroom at the studio is a preview of a rockin' Knuffle Bunny Two Sided Jumbo Puzzle made by the folks at Barnes and Noble.

I have to say, it looks awesome. Here it is in the packaging:


But, check it out, it's box is a lunchbox-style carrying case!


The back side of the box is also the back side of the puzzle:


A box that's filled with puzzle pieces!

The Knuffle Bunny Jumbo Puzzle should be available at your local B&N starting in mid-November, just in time for the holidays.

Huzzah!

Yay Foreign editions!

In the old mail bag today? Fresh copies of the Japanese edition of Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct!

Giant lizards! Scrappy kids! It almost looks like it was made in Japan first!


Huzzah!

Mountain Man takes 5...

Beret Boy...

And the Pigeon joins the Oakland Raiders!

Movember Schedule....

The beginning of November will be MOvember as I'm making a bunch of public appearances during the first week. I hope that you'll be able to drop by the events in person and virtual...




SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 11:30 AM

TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL, Austin Texas

I'll be appearing (via a video conferencing system from my studio) with paper engineer extra-ordinare Bruce Foster as we discuss the pop-out Big Frog Can't Fit In! We'll chat, answer questions, Bruce has some cool pop out surprises, and copies of the book [pre-signed by me] will be available.

Also at 1pm Bruce will be doing a pop-up workshop featuring Big Frog!

This event is free and open to the public.


MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 3:45 PM

SMITH COLLEGE CAMPUS SCHOOL AUTHOR EVENT AND SIGNING, Northampton, MA

A gaggle of authors will sign books for the school and Reach Out and Read.

Open to the public


THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, EVENING

DOODLE FOR HUNGER BENEFIT, Tavern on the Green, NYC

The 10th year of this star studded event. I'll be joining Ernie Anastos, Rod Gilbert, Tony Lo Bianco and loads of other folks checking out doodles by a who's who of celebs. You can even join in and watch as I teach a Franciscan Friar how to draw a Pigeon while helping the city's hungry. Not to be missed.

This is a ticketed event.



FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 5PM

BOOKS OF WONDER, NYC

I'll be taking questions, chatting and signing at Manhattan's premier indie kids bookshop as I plug my two latest volumes, Elephant and Piggie's Pigs Make Me Sneeze! and the pop-out Big Frog Can't Fit In!

This event is free and open to the public.



SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2PM STAMFORD, CT LIBRARY SPEECH

I'll be speaking, drawing, and signing books for librarians, kids, parents, and their ilk.

This event is free and open to the public.



SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 4PM RICHARD MICHELSON GALLERY 20TH ANNUAL CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATION OPENING, Northampton, MA

This is the big one! Pretty much every New England illustrator or writer will be there to hang out and look at a whole crop of new original art available for sale. Had a blast at last years event.
This is my last public appearance for 2009.

This event is free and open to the public.

Yay Foreign editions!

In the ol' mailbag today:

The UK version of Elephant and Piggie's Geisel Medal winning Are You Ready To Play Outside?!

And it looks great.

Walker Books UK has most of my stuff available for all those folks in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand!



Speaking of the UK, The Guardian likes The Pigeon and others...

Daddy's Shirt

Children At Play (Cul De Sac)!

Richard Thompson's latest Cul de Sac collection releases today. Buy it for the sublime comix and ignore my cloying introduction....

I just got my copies in the mail last night and it's fantastically delicious!

Doodle for Hunger Benefit!

I know what you're thinking...

You're thinking, "Man, I'd love to spend Thursday November 5th in NYC's Central Park at Tavern on the Green with wall to wall celebrities from the world of sports, acting, broadcast, and theater as they raise funds for the hungry and bid on tons of cool art from my favorite celebrities from around the world while hanging out with Capuchin Monks."

Well, have I got a deal for you!



Get your tickets to the Doodle for Hunger 2009. I've participated in this event for as long as I've been doing books and this year they've asked me be the 'Artist of the Year'. I'm flattered and happy to help such an important cause. Plus, it's bound to be a weird scene and I love weird scenes!

See ya there!

Some awesome fan stuff!

I'm starting to get a kick out of Twitter, because I can follow The_Pigeon and check out what his fans are up to. Like creating this awesome image:




which is remarkably close to a film he's currently pitching! (thanks Devinise).

I can also follow pals like Richard Thompson who's inaugurated a fan sketch page for his awesome Cul De Sac comic strip.

And how about this for a total thrill: This week I received a nice postcard from none other than my cartooning hero Ronald Searle. I am over the moon.

Toledo-ly Cool Exhbit...(2!) and news!

Toledo rocks! Just a handful of days after the opening of the Toledo Museum's picture book show featuring a few of my drawings, today the Toledo Public Library will being showing "Knuffle Funny: The Art and Whimsy of Mo Willems" a solo exhibit that spans most of my picture book career. The show runs through Christmas.

Outside of my studio, Toledo has the largest concentration of my drawings ever! So drop on by and enjoy the show!

Also:



Borders puts the just released Big Frog Can't Fit In! on this weeks shortlist for kids.

And thanks to you, Elephant and Piggie's Pigs Make Me Sneeze! premiers on the New York Times Bestseller list at #5! Yowie! Thanks, you!

Princess Doodle...

Bruce and Mo live (and on screen)!

That's right, I'll be at the Texas Bookfest in Austin on Nov. 1st with awesome paper engineer Bruce Foster to promote my new pop-up Big Frog Can't Fit In!

[Here are Bruce and I working on the book from a few years back]


I'm afraid I'll be patched in from the studio via the internet, but Bruce will be totally live and has some awesome stuff planned for you to do.

So, please do drop by. I'd love to see you (on my screen).

[Oh, and here's a nice plug for the book from another paper engineer. It's cool how this small world of pop-up makers supports each other.]

We've been Framed (chalkboard walls.2)

After a few weeks of empty frames in our chalkboard-walled-dining-room it was time to come up with some characters to draw.

The rules were that you couldn't draw a character in a frame you drew and you couldn't name a character you drew. That way every sketch was a real collaboration! This batch is our favorite yet, especially with the inclusion of Prof. Von Cheeseball!

[click on photos for larger image]








Now it's your turn for a big, fun, family draw!

National Book Fest Webcast!

For those of you who couldn't make it to last month's National Book Fest, check out this webcast of my presentation [click on webcast] as I read from Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed and two Elephant and Piggie books (one with help). It's like being there without getting rained on!

We've been Framed (chalkboard walls)

It's time to return once again to our dining room chalk board walls.

Looking for something more serene than the last adventure, the family hit upon a series of portraits to grace our dining experience. So, first off we had to create a series of frames (ornate and modern) to house our portraits.

Here are the (fuzzy) results:




We had so much fun making these little frames that we decided to keep them empty for a while and just image who would eventually inhabit them. This led to some cool dinner conversations.

After the jump, portraits fulfilled!

Until then, why not have a big old family draw of your own? You don't have to draw on your walls to have fun!

Borders Interview

This summer at BEA I sat down with Borders' kids book-buyer Ruta Drummond to chat about my work, getting published, being unusual, and the new pop-up Big Frog Can't Fit In!

Ruta has been a great supporter of my books from before Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

You can watch the interview here.

[I apologize in advance for the moments of earnestness...]

Toledo-ly Cool Exhbit...

The Toledo Museum of Art opens its Storybook Stars show today.

Their blurb:

Storybook Stars features 120 enchanting illustrations from artists who have won major awards for their work in children’s books. Join us in visiting the delightful characters and worlds of such artists as Maurice Sandak, Mo Willems, Eric Carle, Arnold Lobel, and Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss). Organized by The Dr. Jerry J. Mallett Institute’s Mazza Museum, The University of Findlay. The Mazza Museum is the largest teaching museum devoted to literacy and the art of children’s picture books.

I'm flattered and honored to have work of Elephant and Piggie and Knuffle Bunny included in the show.

It runs through Jan 31.

PW likes BIG FROG CAN'T FIT IN!

They say:

"A larger-than-life frog can’t fit into this self-proclaimed “pop out” book. “If only she were smaller,” Big Frog thinks, as a pull tab lets readers shrink her extra-long legs (turning her frown into a toothy smile); another thought bubble has her wishing to be “more bendable,” as she’s seen twisted up, Gumby-style). But with some help from friends (a crew of tiny frogs—though Pigeon also makes a cameo), Big Frog finds a solution: “Make a bigger book!” shout signs on an enormous and intricate final spread. A sunny tribute to the power of friendship to provide ingenuity, help and cheer."

Thanks!

Simulcast a Success!

Thanks to a great deal of hard work by my pals at Hyperion (especially Nellie and Zat!), yesterday's simulcast from the studio to schools and libraries around the country was a success. We reached literally TONS of kids, answered questions, showed a documentary, read the brand new Pigs Make Me Sneeze! and Big Frog Can't Fit In!, made drawings, and talked on a pretend phone.

Events like this don't just happen; we had a huge crew at the studio working out the kinks, both technical and aesthetic.

Here's a taste of the last two days of rehearsals:












And this is what it looked like on some fans' computer screens for the live show:





And here is a quick vid clip of one of the schools when I drew their idea....

Huzzah!

Thanks to all the schools and libraries who helped meet the technical requirements and especially all the kids and their awesome ideas! Rock on!