Willems, Mo, 1968-

Mo Willems, born February 11, 1968, and raised in New Orleans. He attended the Isidore Newman School and graduated cum laude from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. His 2006 book, You can never find a rickshaw when it monsoons, was the result of a year spent travelling the world where he drew a cartoon a day. From 1993-2002 Willems worked as a writer and animator for Sesame Street, winning six Emmys. Willems has won major awards in a short amount of time; his books Don't let the pigeon drive the bus (2004), Knuffle Bunny: a cautionary tale (2005), and Knuffle Bunny too: A case of mistaken identity (2008) all won Caldecott Honors. Books in his Elephant and Piggie series have won two Geisel Medals and a Geisel Honor. Two animated shorts based on Knuffle Bunny: a cautionary tale (2007) and Don't let the pigeon drive the bus (2010) have won Carnegie Medals. Willems has been involved in the production of various kits and animations produced by Children's Television Workshop, Sony Wonder and Weston Woods, and contributed to John Scieszka's Guys write for guys read. He currently lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, with his wife Cheryl and family. For more information see his website at http://mowillems.com.

Mo Willems (born February 11, 1968) is an American writer, animator, voice actor, and children's book author. His work includes creating the animated television series Sheep in the Big City for Cartoon Network, working on Sesame Street and The Off-Beats, and creating the popular children's book series Elephant and Piggie. Willems was born in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines, Illinois[1][2] and was raised in New Orleans, where he graduated from Trinity Episcopal School[3] and the Isidore Newman School.[4][5] He graduated cum laude[6] from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Since 2003, Willems has authored numerous books for young children, many of which have garnered significant critical acclaim. The New York Times Book Review referred to Willems as "the biggest new talent to emerge thus far in the 00's"[11] — and to his pigeon character as "one of this decade's contributions to the pantheon of great picture book characters."[12] He also creates the Elephant and Piggie books, an early reader series about a friendly elephant and pig. In 2010, Willems introduced a new series of books featuring Cat the Cat, also aimed at early readers.[13]

In 2019, Willems was named the Kennedy Center's first education artist-in-residence.[18] In 2020, the Center sponsored a series of virtual lunch doodles with Mo Willems as a way of keeping children entertained during the COVID-19 pandemic.[19]

He married Cheryl Camp in Brooklyn, New York, in 1997.[6] They reside in Northampton, Massachusetts.[31]

Mo Willems is an American writer, illustrator, and animator.