Happy eBirthday to us all!

Many years ago someone posted on some website that I was, in fact, an Italian who was born on May 24. And it stuck.
Consequently, I've been getting birthday wishes in my fan mail every May for years.  In the beginning, I had no idea why.
Since most, but not all, Wiki-type sites have corrected this odd error, I have decided that May 24 is my eBirthday. (I even made the Adelaide, Australia's Horoscope last year).
Not only mine, but EVERYONE'S.
That's right EVERY SINGLE PERSON, including YOU is Italian (or eTalian) and EVERY SINGLE PERSON, including YOU gets to have a birthday ice cream today because I said so on the INTERNET.
So in honor of all the misinformation floating around out there, HAPPY eBIRTHDAY to YOU!

So have a great day, and I hope to see you in Pittsburgh on Sunday if you're around (here's a small piece about the weekend)...

A BIG GUY TOOK MY BALL! publishes today!

Gerald is careful. Piggie is not.
Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can.
Gerald worries so that Piggie does not have to.

Gerald and Piggie are best friends.

In A Big Guy Took My Ball! Piggie is devastated when a big guy takes her ball! Gerald is big, too...but is he big enough to help his best friend?

Available your favorite local book store or library today!

I hope you enjoy the BIG surprise!

Monday News...

Lots to be thankful for this Monday...

Thanks to you, THAT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA! spends it's 3rd week on the Indie Bestseller List (#6) and the New York Times Bestseller List (#4) and is joined on the NYT List by LET'S GO FOR A DRIVE! (#8). Thanks, you!

Here is a brief interview about humor, the Sid Fleischman Award, and GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE DINOSAURS from SCBWI in which I discuss funny in a not funny way.

KNUFFLE BUNNY MUSICAL in Syracuse NY!

A new production of KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY MUSICAL opens on Friday May 24th at Syracuse's Gifford family Theatre (school matinees begin on the 21st) and runs through mid-June.

Don't miss the action! The drama! The babbling! The HUGE dancing laundry!

Details and tickets are here!

If you're in the area, I hope you enjoy the production and tell 'em Mo sent ya!

May Appearances

After a month of travel, May's schedule is a bit lighter.

As I announced recently, I will be taking a year off abroad starting this summer. Consequently, these appearances will be my last ones in these locations for at least a year.

If you're in the area, please drop by to say hello, and remember to check with the venue regarding signing policies, etc...

MAY 25 - 26  PITTSBURGH, PA

It's the annual conference for the National Cartoonist Society!  Always great fun and this year there will be a public event, so don't miss it!

Sat. May 25, pm -  I will be speaking about my career and breaking down picture books for conference attendees.  There will be a signing afterwards (again for attendees).

Sun. May 26-  Toonseum Festival. I will be joined by a great big gang of cartoonists for a huge public signing & festival.  Check out the whole list, because there are some amazing talents talking and signing.

From 2:00pm-3:00pm I will be at the August Wilson Center across the street from the Toonseum

There will be books (including exclusive preview copies of DON'T PIGEON HOLE ME: TWO DECADES OF THE MO WILLEMS SKETCHBOOK) for sale to benefit various outreach programs in the area, so please support the show. 

 
MAY 31 - JUNE 1  NEW YORK CITY

Fri. May 31 - BEA.  I'll be signing at the great big Book Expo America.  Don't forget to visit the Harper and Hyperion booths for cool stuff.

Here's my signing schedule:

1:30pm – 2:30pm            Autographing That is Not a Good Idea! at signing Table 10

3:00pm – 4:00pm           Autographing in Disney/Hyperion Booth (#1721)

Don’t Let Pigeon Drive the Bus! and Big Guy Took My Ball!

I believe the first signing requires a ticket and the second is as long as books last, so get your tickets or place in line early as these events tend to "sell out".

Also, the Disney/Hyperion booth has some fun give aways and a photo-shoot opportunity with you and The Pigeon and a special announcement!

 (These events are for BEA attendees)

Sat. June 1 - 7:00pm – 8:00pm                  

Bergen Street Comics  

470 Bergen St.

Brooklyn, NY 

I will be discussing the upcoming cartoon collection DON'T PIGEON HOLE ME! TWO DECADES OF THE MO WILLEMS SKETCHBOOK followed by a signing.  Even though the book isn't due out until mid-June, the store will have a special advance shipment of books available in addition to my other work. 

I hope you'll come out and check out 20 years of my 'grown-up' work, including the birth of the Pigeon. 

(This event is open to the public and will be geared to the grown ups & big kids. Only 1 book from home, pls.)

There will be further events in June including a big weekend with the opening of the SERIOUSLY SILLY  exhibit retrospective at the Eric Carle Museum of Art in Amherst, MA (here's a piece in SLJ about it), and a show of my grown up work (including some exciting brand new magnitized stuff) at the R. Michelson Gallery in Northampton, MA and events at the ALA Convention in Chicago.

Monday thanks!

Monday is a great day to say thanks and report nice news...

THAT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA! is spending it's 2nd week on the New York Times Bestseller list at #5 and the Indie Bestseller list at #6!

Here's a nice review of THAT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA! in Bookpage.

I'm excited to report that GOLDILOCKS & THE THREE DINOSAURS is a finalist for a Kentucky Bluegrass Award, which will be voted on by kids all over Kentucky.  My favorite awards are the ones where the kids vote.  So cool.

It's only a week away from the publication of Elephant and Piggie's newest adventure, A BIG GUY TOOK MY BALL!  I like this one and hope you will too.

A slew of dining room dinner doodles!

As readers of the blog know, the Willems family (and guests) spend our dinners doodling on the paper table cloth that we use for our meals.

These drawings are real doodles, nothing pre-thought out.  Just fun and letting loose.

They're a joy to do and to look at after.

Here are some recent doodles:

My wife is into abstractions, but this time she framed it.

Shapes

Love the hair my kid has been drawing lately.

But there's always time for Kwai!

Pigeon's cousins

A rare non-abstract from my wife.

Horse whisperer from the POV of a horse...

LOVE this hair from my kid

From a hotel room during the last tour...

My mother-in-law has set the table.

Again, my mother-in-law

Monster fun!

My father-in-law playing with color!

And shapes!

Huzzah!  Why don't you have a dinner doodle with some family and/or friends?  It's fun!