Primary Books used for this presentation: Knuffle Bunny, Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus!, Cat the Cat, who is that
Why?: These three books illustrations and story lines exemplify Willems’ minimalistic approach to storytelling which allows the reader to extract their own meaning. Willem’s is a proponent of the reader having ownership of what a story means, and in varying ways, these three books allow the reader to be engaged in a very personalized way. Additionally, the illustrations of his characters are central to his story telling; he uses these doodles as springboards to create stories. Each of these books personifies his style of drawing that lends itself to interesting story telling.
Mo Willems Bio
Mo Willems is a prolific children’s author and illustrator with more than 30 books to his name. He has received three honor Caldecott Medals for his books Knuffle Bunny, Knuffle Bunny Too, and Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! [1] He has also won 2 Geisel Medals, 3 Geisel Honors[2]. Before writing and drawing picture books, Willems worked in television. His biggest credits in television were as a writer for Sheep in the Big City and Sesame Street (where he won 6 Emmys for his creative efforts.)
Willems was raised by Dutch immigrants in New Orleans and learned to tell stories that were humorous and concise (he claims “storytelling in N'awlins is unique because your audience is usually drunk, so you've got to be clear, funny, and succinct”[3]). Growing up, he wanted nothing more than to be able to work on the Peanuts comics. Despite this dream not coming true, he stuck to his primarily childhood goals, “to draw cartoons and to make people laugh”[4].
The brevity of his children’s stories seem to not only encapsulate what he wanted to achieve as a child but also his broader philosophy of the creative process. Willems is a proponent of letting the reader come up with the meaning behind a story. He has frequently said in interviews and on his own blog FAQ, that good writing and illustration happen when the creator is invisible. His goal as a writer is to make the reader connect with the characters, not with him. To do this, Willems employs what he calls “manipulation”,[5] he stealthily creates children’s literature with characters and plot lines that are concise while still being open to a bevy of interpretations. By allowing the reader to become engaged in this way, whether it’s yelling “No” at the pigeon or being engrossed in the craftily photo shopped pictures of Knuffle Bunny, Willems creates a world where the reader and his or her projections becomes an integral part of the plot. If the reader comes away thinking the writing is funny, then that’s all the better in Willems’ mind.
Willems’ uses his drawing doodles to help manifest his plots. His creative process tends to start with drawings and letting them “percolate” as he thinks about what kind of personalities his characters will have. It is this method of creative process, one that begins with illustration, that is useful for connecting the power of drawing with the power of literacy. Willems is a perfect example of how drawing becomes a tangible and spatial springboard for some seriously well-crafted stories. Such a message, and such a process, could be profoundly beneficial for young readers and writers who need help “finding their words” by grounding their ideas in drawing. By keeping his illustrations very simple, Willems’ accomplishes something wonderful: “My goal is to have children take my characters and create new adventure for them”[6]
Ultimately, Willems’ books not only empower young readers to become engaged in participation, they empower young minds to create, in their drawing and in what they write. For an author and illustrator who might have tricked you into thinking “drawing cartoons and making people laugh” where simplistic goals, he manages to remind us as educators, that these goals can also be quite profound.
Fast Fun Facts about Mo and his books:
Elephant and Piggie are his two favorite characters to draw.
Pigeon “sneaks” into other Mo Willem books that are not about Pigeon because the Pigeon doesn’t like it when Mo write’s about other characters
Mo Willems first character was LazorBrain, about a superhero that loses his brain!
Growing up, Mo wanted to take over Charles Schultz job drawing Peanuts cartoon.
Mo’s birthday is February 11, 1968. He’s an Aquarius!
Mo has a daughter named Trixie. The little girl named Trixie in Knuffle Bunny is loosely based off of her.
He credits his 8th grade teacher, Mrs. Laboisse, for expanding his world view profoundly because she would quiz her class on the Sunday Paper
Some ‘Mo Resources!
All things Mo Willems!
http://www.mowillems.com/
Mo’s personal blog:
http://mowillemsdoodles.blogspot.com/
Pigeon Presents (a website dedicated to the Pigeon!):
http://www.pigeonpresents.com/
A really thorough review of Mo’s writing and some short synopsis of his most popular books: http://www.childrenslit.com/childrenslit/mai_willems_mo.html:
[1] http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecotthonors/caldecottmedal
[2] http://mowillemsdoodles.blogspot.com/
[3] http://www.childrenslit.com/childrenslit/mai_willems_mo_qa.html
[4] http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/mo-willems-is-the-go-to-author-for-children--and-their-parents/2012/01/06/gIQAFLztfP_story_1.html
[5] http://www.childrenslit.com/childrenslit/mai_willems_mo.html
[6] http://www.seattlepi.com/ae/article/Mo-Willems-childhood-ambition-to-draw-and-be-1249855.php
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