# data[].attributes.body
Born in 1968 in Des Plaines, Illinois

Mo began drawing and creating his own story characters at 3 years old

Attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts where he had minor success publishing a few short films

After college, Mo traveled the world for a year drawing one cartoon a day. He later published this in an annotated carton journal called You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When it Monsoons

From 1993-2002 Mo worked as a cartoonist and writer for Sesame Street

Married his wife Cheryl in Brooklyn, NY 1997

Performed stand up comedy in NYC

Willems left his career in television and became a stay-at-home father for his daughter

He and his wife have one daughter named Trixie

Currently lives in Massachusetts with his family

# data[].attributes.body
Animal characters

Speech Bubbles

Characters talking to the reader

Epilogues

Creative front and back inside covers

Humor- Hilarious facial expressions and funny contexts

simple text, emphasis on "reading" the illustrations

Repeated characters: Trixie, The Pigeon, Elephant and Piggie

simplistic 2D cartoons

Knuffle Bunny series about his daughter and life in Brooklyn NY

# data[].attributes.body
Mo’s goal ever since he was a child was not to get polite comments on his stories which could be faked, but to get laughter.  You can’t fake that!

Won six Emmys while working as a writer for PBS’s Sesame Street

Has two Caldecott Honor winning picture books, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale

Won two Geisel Medals and two Geisel Honors for his Elephant and Piggie books

Was creator and head writer of Cartoon Network’s Sheep in the Big City

Head writer of television series Codename: Kids Next Door

Has art and cartoons exhibited around the world, including pieces at the High Museum in Atlanta and the New-York Historical Society

Regarding e-books, Mo said, “A book, being a physical object, engenders a certain respect that zipping electrons cannot. Because you cannot turn a book off, because you have to hold it in your hands, because a book sits there, waiting for you, whether you think you want it or not, because of all these things, a book is a friend. It’s not just the content, but the physical being of a book that is there for you always and unconditionally”

Inaugural Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence: writes, produces, and collaborates with the National Symphony Orchestra to make stuff involving classical music, jazz experiences, comedy concerts, dance, painting, and digital works

The Pigeon from Don’t Let the Pigeon Ride the Bus is drawn somewhere in every book Mo has ever illustrated

Mo does not have a Twitter but the Pigeon does, @The_Pigeon

# data[].attributes.body
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, 2003

Knuffle Bunny Too, A Case of Mistaken Identity, 2007

Knuffle Bunny Free, An Unexpected Diversion, 2010

Knuffle Bunny, A Cautionary Tale, 2004

There is a Bird on Your Head, 2007

My Friend is Sad, 2007

We Are in a Book, 201p

City Dog, Country Frog, 2010

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs, 2012