The Pigeon Has Landed

That begging pigeon is back. You know, the one that reminds you of your kid. The pigeon that will cajole, plead, whine, cry, even fall to his knees and scream for what he wants, when he wants it. And this time The Pigeon Wants a Puppy and he's not giving up until he gets one!

Actually, the pigeon doesn’t really understand what taking care of a puppy entails. (Sound familiar, moms and dads?) He promises to water it once a month because everyone knows that puppies need plenty of sunshine and water to grow. But he soon finds out about slobbering puppies with wet noses, big teeth, and claws, and changes his mind like kids are wont to do. It's not long before he's on to begging for something else... something even bigger and better.

Mo Willems' Pigeon Saga is a fun set of books because the pigeon stands on the page and pleads his case to the reader. Kids love them because they probably see themselves in his meltdowns; it's always smart to have an ally in the "I want!" battles. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! has been called "charmingly absurd." And it is, but so are its sequels.

Mo' about Mo: Mo Willems' interest in drawing and writing started when he was 3 or 4. He made his first “watchable” film—The Man Who Yelled—as a student at New York University. His next successful short film Iddy Biddy Beat Boy led to his job as a writer and animator for nine years on Sesame Street, where he won six Emmy Awards for his animation. Willems also produced series for Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.

A stay-at-home dad to his daughter, Trixie, Willems wrote Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale about a little girl named Trixie who loses her favorite stuffed animal on a trip to the laundromat. Since she is too young to tell her father what happened, her crying and yelling only succeeds in getting him upset. It isn't until they get home and his wife asks where Knuffle Bunny is that he understands the frustrating world of a toddler.

Willems was awarded the Caldecott Honor Book citation and the American Library Association Award for Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! in 2004 and for Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale in 2005. (Biography is from Biography Resource Center. Library card is required.)