Being up front with Behind the Book

Here's a nice interview with me from Follett that covers how I work, why I work, what I'm working on, and my background in sketch comedy.

If you're in the mood for interviews, here are a bunch of extraneous quotes from animation folk about making TV including Craig McCracken, Doug TenNapel, Butch Hartman, & myself given during interviews with animator/author/pal Dave Levy for his books on making it in the biz.



(Plus a shout out to my wife on her b'day. I always knew you were real simple...)

Woof!

My preview of the upcoming picture book CITY DOG, COUNTRY FROG by pal Jon Muth and myself has just arrived in the studio mail.

At least one member of the studio team couldn't wait to get his paws on it!

I hope you'll get your paws on a copy when it comes out in June.

I'm on the cover of TIME (for kids)!

If you're in Kindergarten or 1st grade, maybe you've gotten your copy of TIME for Kids that visits my studio, asks questions, and has a few games and challenges...

If you're a teacher, you can download a guide pdf.


Huzzah!

Meltdown!

Today is Meltdown! in Northampton, MA. I'll be there reading and signing with a bunch of cool book pals and kid rockers. My pal JJK has all the details (he also made the awesome poster).

Here's a radio interview with DJ Monte about my work, Sesame Street, Elmo, & Meltdown...

Oh, and here's a picture of the Pigeon from Portland's production of Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! running this weekend:

Oct. 20, 2009 was a good day to doodle...

Cleaning up my studio, I came across a small notebook filled with doodles like these:




















The above represents @ 1/3 of the doodles in that sketchbook.

While I'm constantly railing about the benefits of doodling, I don't think I've taken a day for doodling since Oct. 20.

Shame on me.

Give Me Your Keys!

As some of you know, there is lots of Pigeon stuff available besides the books. Well, this spring will see the release of a bunch of new, exciting Pigeon stuff in the form of board games, activities, matching games, and other cool stuff.

Before the onslaught, I thought I'd travel back 7 years before the Pigeon was published and look at his first bit of "product", a promotional keychain:


These were created for Hyperion's inspired marketing team to give to librarians, book reviewers, book stores and various big-wigs a few months before Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! was hatched. At the time few people thought a book starring a "rat with wings" would fly and I'm not sure this trinket helped change any minds, but it was real fun to make.

I'd had keychains made out of my characters before, but never had I been allowed to design one. I still love the clear base which allows the legs to be spindly.



This is unfortunately the last Pigeon keychain I have (I had two, but the second one's head fell off a week or so back).

Stay tuned for more cool Pigeon stuff as the year progresses...

Can you find the Pigeon?

That sneaky bird, The Pigeon, has been caught sneaking into the offices of Family Fun Magazine and taken over as guest editor of the latest issue!

Can you find him in the 7 pages* he's hidden in the latest issue? If you can, you'll win a pony**!



(taken from Family Fun's security camera during the takeover...)



*one for each year. Pigeon turns 7 on April 1st.
**Void where prohibited. Restrictions apply. For instance, you won't actually win a pony, so that's a restriction right there.... But you may win some signed books, which is pretty cool.

Becky Anderson thinks I'm full of it!

CITY DOG, COUNTRY FROG gets a star!

Booklist's starred review of the upcoming City Dog, Country Frog is quite flattering about my collaboration with Jon Muth. They say:

It’s hard to imagine a picture book that more consistently (and touchingly) hits all the right notes. Willems, never one to overwrite, is gracefully spare here, making every word count. That leaves room for Muth’s watercolors, richly seasonal, which fill each page. The pictures are imbued with hope and happiness, leaving and longing. This wonderful collaboration makes a significant impact with subtlety and wit. Adults and children will each take away something of their own.

Yay.

Thanks, Booklist! This book is a departure for me and I'm glad to see someone enjoying it.

You can find out more about the book in this nice interview/spotlight that accompanies the review in Booklist.



I hope you'll enjoy the book when it's published in June.

Elephant and Piggie on the List! (I'm back)

Thanks to you, Elephant and Piggie's latest, I AM GOING! is going back on the NYTimes Bestseller list this week at #10, for its 5th time on the list which is great news to someone coming back from a trip.

Thanks you!

And thanks to all the fine folks (and restaurants) in Miami & Cayman who were so friendly over the past week. Fun bookstore visits and nothing beats a movie theater filled with all he kids on an island yelling "NOOO!" at the screen. Seriously cool.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (the OTHER musical)

It's been a busy year already for theater. the UK's Big Wooden Horse production of Pigeon Party! is ending it's US and Canada tour this week at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, CA, my version of Knuffle Bunny: a Cautionary Musical opens at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on May 8th, and this weekend will see the premier of a brand new Pigeon production, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by The Northwest Children's Theatre in Portland, OR. The original musical is scheduled for a 2-week run. If you're in the area, why not drop by and say, "Yes", to a show where you get to yell, "NOOOOO!"

I'm off!

To Miami and Grand Cayman for some readings, writing, and relaxation.

In the meantime, why not go play games at PigeonPresents.com or GoMo.net? Or you can read this EW.com review of Elephant & Piggie, the first one to compare them to Beckett...

Back to the regularly scheduled madness next week!

The Pigeon is helping renovate the Forbes Library!

If you live in the Northampton Mass area, then you know how cool the Forbes Library is. This year, the library needs your help renovating the Children's Area, which is over due for a fixin'.

Late spring, I'll be hosting a benefit cartoonapalooza evening of animation featuring animated versions of my books, plus classic Sesame Street and Nickelodeon animated shorts.

We're also releasing a limited edition Elephant and Piggie poster featuring the titles of books by neighbors and pals:



Until then visit the Forbes Library site and help out if you can.


Even if you're just passing through town, the Library is worth a stop. It's big, beautiful, and has the Calvin Coolige memorial library tucked inside it.

DOG

And here's a nice article about the year and my upcoming Coral Gables appearance...

Pigeon Reviewed by Kids!

Speaking of reviews, the folks at the Boston Globe have nice things to say about the Cat the Cat books (as well as pals Reinhart and Sabuda's latest engineering feat)

The Show(s) go on!

With the Touring production of Big Wooden Horse's Pigeon Party! over, don't fret: there's still lots of fun Theater stuff brewing for Elephant, Piggie, Pigeon and Knuffle Bunny.


I've obviously plugged May's opening for Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical at the Kennedy Center (there seem to be one or two tickets left) and a bunch of folks have been asking if the show is coming to their town when it tours starting in October. I don't have any control over where the show goes, but I did just get a tentative list of towns which include:

Jackson, WY; Billings, MT; Gillette, WY; La Mirada, CA; Everett, WA; Tacoma, WA; Boise, ID; Las Vegas, NV; Gilbert, AZ; Glendora, CA ; Springfield, IL; Urbana, IL ; Wausau, WI; Ada, OH; Cleveland, OH; Belleville, IL; St. Louis, MO ; Paducah, KY; Opelika, AL; West Palm Beach, FL; Melbourne, FL ; Orange Park, FL; Coral Springs, FL; Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Sarasota, FL; Atlanta, GA; Greenville, NC ; New York, NY ; Hartford, CT; Concord, NH; Burlington, VT; Northampton, MA ; Derry, NH; Lebanon, NH;Portsmouth, NH; Portland, ME South Portland ; Flushing, NY; Utica, NY ; Brookfield, WI; Glen Ellyn, IL ; Bloomington, IL; Texarkana, TX; Orange, TX; Richardson, TX; Ft. Worth, TX; Meridian, MS; Memphis, TN; Westhampton, NY; Brooklyn, NY; Pittsburgh, PA ; Newark, NJ; and Washington, DC

Phew!

Note, some of these venues may cancel, some new venues may come up. I'll post a full, official schedule as soon as I get one.

Here's a mock up of the set from the KC's Facebook page:


But that's not all on the horizon!

A brand new production of Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! is hitting the stage this month at the Northwest Children's Theater in Portland, OR on March 20th! The show runs for 2 weeks.



As they say:

Finally, a play you can say ‘no’ to! When a bus driver takes a break, a wheeling-and-dealing pigeon begs to take his place! The popular book ‘takes flight’ as audiences get on the bus and move to a Latin groove in this original musical about a little bird with BIG dreams.

What's that? You're a New Yorker who wants to see Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and There is a Bird on My Head! in sketch form with a bunch of other cool books? Good news! The whole month of March, the Atlantic Theater Company is running a show on the weekends called Books Cook! , which includes 2 of my stories.



Should be fun.

Oh, and check out this pix from Chicago's Trap Door Theater recent production of Elephant and Piggie's I Am Invited to a Party!





These guys know Parties!

Party! Party! Party!

Bestsellers, CUBED!

Last week I thanked you for helping make 2 of my books hit the NYTimes Bestseller this.

This week I have 50% more to thank you for.



That's right, this week 3 of my titles are on the list, Cat the Cat's CAT THE CAT WHO IS THAT? at #5, LET'S SAY HIGH TO FRIENDS WHO FLY at #7, and Elephant and Piggie's I AM GOING! at #9.

This is certainly a first for me and everyone on Team Mo is over the moon.


Thanks to all for your support and enjoy those books!