I'm off!

Traveling across the country to read Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator!

Why not play the Alligator Wants to Play! game the Hot Dog Dress Up game or the Elephant and Piggie Dance game? while I'm away.

I'm pretty sure The Pigeon will continue tweeting while I'm on the road.

ASIFA-East Fest this Sunday

If you're in NYC this Sunday (May 1st) and are in the mood for a screening of the best of East Coast animation in the past year, I suggest you drop by The ASIFA-East Festival at

The New School
Tischman Auditorim
66 W. 12th St.
(bet. 5th/6th Aves)
NYC

Show starts at 6pm, but get there early and beat the crowd.

I have it on good authority that both of this years animated adaptations of my books The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog and Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed will be screened.  Again, I'm sorry to have to miss this always fun event as I'll be at the LA Festival of Books on Sunday.

The great news is that all of this cool, funky animation is free and most of the filmmakers will be there. The bad news is that this is not for the kiddies. Many of the films can have adult themes and language.

I'm lucky enough to have had many of my films represented at the Festival over the years, starting in 1993 when I won my first ever award. Viva ASIFA-East!

Library Advocates Poster!

I'm happy to be joining Carmen Agra Deedy, David Baldacci, Tony DiTerlizzi, Sharon Draper, Neil Gaiman, John Grisham, Brad Meltzer, Pam Muñoz Ryan, Sara Paretsky, Kathy Reichs,  and Scott Turow for a pro-library poster being released by the American Library Association.

(click to enlarge)


My quote is: "All of the life-changingly awesome words and pictures and ideas inside your library are useless without just one word outside your library: Open."

And I stand by that.

The 13" x 38" poster is available here.

Hooray for Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator! (Pub Date!) + Reviews!

Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator! publishes today! 

I hope you enjoy the 6-1/2 stories in the book.

I will be traveling across the nation reading Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator! starting Sunday.  Please do drop by if you're in the area.



There are Amanda and Her Alligator Games and wallpaper and even a 'sizzle' promotional video on GoMo.net.

Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator! received its 3rd starred review from School Library Journal, who say:

"These “6½ Surprising Stories About 2 Surprising Friends” expand on the bond between child and toy that Willems captured so well in “Knuffle Bunny.”...In the author’s trademark charcoal and watercolor illustrations, characters once again strike just the right pose to convey a maximum of information with a minimum of artistic sweat... Amusing and heartwarming, it will leave Willems’s fans totally satisfied."

The BCCB also chimes in with a nice review. They call Alligator "criminally adorable" and say:

"This is a perfect stealth early reader, a story that will begin as a chapter-by-chapter readaloud and then get converted by the audience when experience and determination make it time to fly solo."

Huzzah!

Radio Interviews/Fuzzy Eggs...

In preparation for the Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator Tour that begins Sunday, I will be spending tomorrow (Tues, the 26th) talking to a bunch of folks on the radio.  If you're in the listening area, please tune in (but keep in mind that these radio things notoriously reschedule at the last second).

The plan is to be chatting tomorrow morning at:

7:20 am EST USA Radio's DayBreak USA

8:05 am EST Norfolk VA's WVES-FM

8:30 am EST Orlando FL's WRHB-AM

9:35 am EST Mid OH Valley's WMOV-AM

11:00 am Mountain on AZ's KZUA-FM

I'll also be having conversations with Detroit MI's WGRT-FM, San Antonio TX's "Some Books Considered" on KTXI, NYC's "Change Your Voice" on WNYM-AM, and my pals over on Albany's NPR station WAMC-FM's "Round Table".

Tune in  if you can!

Oh and here's a short review of Amanda from the Chicago Tribune.

Also, a few pictures of Knuffle Manor's egg decoration for the year:

Yes, the eggs were all that fuzzy.

Oh, and now the commuting penguins are going green (Did you know Penguins are ticklish? Just found out):



Did you have a big old family draw this weekend?  How about next weekend?

Yay fan Mail!

It's time to take a peek at some fan mail favorites.  Last time we focused on the Pigeon, who is definitely the most popular character for kids to draw.  Although, Elephant and Piggie are becoming a close second with Knuffle Bunny and Cat the Cat not far behind.

No matter who these kids draw (or make), the work is just awesome and inspiring!

Check out this huge hand made Knuffle Bunny!  Insanely cool!

Knuffle Bunny REALLY wants to eat the donut.

Big Frog and Leonardo!

I would love to get a medal for handriting!

A great image of Piggie, Elephant Gerald, & Snake from CAN I PLAY TOO?

Love the shadows on the ground.  When I was an animation director I'd always have to remind my storyboard artist to put the shadow in when characters ran.

Yay Cat the Cat!

You can see more Cat the Cat at GoMo.net!

Duckling!

The whole gang!

 

Love this drawing of the 'artist in his studio'.

Huzzah!

If you or your class wants to share some awesomeness, please send it to:

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

Please be patient as it takes a while to get the mail forwarded to me.

Teachers, a cover letter with the grade of your students is appreciated.

Please note, I cannot accept packages or books to be signed and returned.

Kirkus & TOKNY love HOORAY FOR AMANDA AND HER ALLIGATOR!

Kirkus Reviews has given the upcoming Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator! its second starred review, calling it:

"An exploration of the nature of surprises between good friends...Silly, warm and inviting, the six-and-1/2 short episodic chapters are just right for reading aloud as well as for beginning readers who are steady on their reading feet."

Thanks Kirkus!

TimeOut KIDS NY makes Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator! their Picture Book Pick, saying:

"Alligator somehow finds the courage to be generous in the winning last chapter of the book, which captures the drama of everyday moments with typical Willems panache. Yes, we hope to see you later, Alligator."

You can download a Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator Event Kit, Digital Wallpaper and more right here!

 

Helen Hayes Awards interview

DC Theater Scene has posted a series of interviews with the nominees for this years Helen Hayes Awards.  I'm happy to say that Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical  has been nominated for 2 awards, including new play. There are short interviews by all of the nominees including Knuffle's composer Michael Silversher, orchestrator Deborah Wicks LaPuma, and myself.

The awards ceremony is on April 25th in Washington DC.

Speaking of interviews, if you sign up, you can check out an Australian interview with me in LMNOP issue #14. It's totally upside down!

Elephant Sculpture!

Remember this piece of cut paper:



Here it is as an unpainted sculpture:

 

Hopefully it will continue to grow!

(Exciting)