Mo Willems author page

Mo Willems biography

Mo Willems is an author, illustrator, animator and playwright. His children’s books include the Pigeon picture books, the Knuffle Bunny books and the Elephant & Piggie early reader series.

Willems began his career as a writer and animator on Sesame Street, where his writing won six Emmy Awards. His later television work included creating and writing Sheep in the Big City and working as head writer on Codename: Kids Next Door.

His debut picture book, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, was published by Hyperion Books for Children in 2003. The book invites the reader to stop a determined pigeon from driving a bus and received a Caldecott Honor in 2004.

Willems also received Caldecott Honors for Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity. His Elephant & Piggie series received two Theodor Seuss Geisel Medals and five Geisel Honors.

In 2019, the Kennedy Center named Willems its first Education Artist-in-Residence. In 2023, he co-founded Hidden Pigeon Company to develop projects based on his characters and stories.