Diane Davies reads A Big Guy Took My Ball by Mo Willems.

From the desk of:

Mo Willems

Dear Reader and Letter Writer!

Thanks for taking the time to send me your e-mail! I’m so glad you did.

Here are some answers to questions I sometimes get.

I live in a small town in Massachusetts. We have a dog named Vincent who works as my studio assistant. That means he woofs at the printer when it breaks.

My first (published) book was Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, which came out in 2003. Since then I’ve written and drawn over sixty books and helped create four musical plays.

Recent books include Because, Unlimited Squirrels in WHO IS THE MYSTERY READER?, and The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! Have you read any of them? Did you like them? My next book is Unlimited Squirrels in I WANT TO SLEEP UNDER THE STARS! I hope you’ll like it when it’s published in the fall.

My favorite book is the one I’m working on right now. I can’t wait to see how my thoughts and drawings will become a story for you to read. If you’re growing a great idea for a book, you should make that book!

I don’t “get” ideas; I “grow” them. I plant thoughts in my notebook every day and hope that some of them will become stories.

My writing principle is: “Always think of your audience, never think for your audience.” What is yours?

In my free time I like to read, doodle, and play a fun French ball game called pétanque.

I am the Kennedy Center Artist-in-Residence, and because of the pandemic, that’s where I’ve been for the past few weeks: my residence. Since I couldn’t perform my shows at the Kennedy Center, I made some videos instead:
LUNCH DOODLES where we doodle, play games, and I show you how to draw some of my characters.
THANK YOU THURSDAYS! where we make thank you cards for people who are helping others during the pandemic, we make instruments, and sing a song.
THE YO-YO MO SHOW (coming May 31) where cellist and friend Yo-Yo Ma and I doodle to music and talk about how music and drawing are similar and different.

Speaking of the Kennedy Center, next fall you’ll be able to see a bunch of celebrity pals perform my books with me in DON’T LET THE PIGEON DO STORYTIME! on HBO Max.

I’m also co-curating a digital art exhibit with the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art called ART IN PLACE: SOCIAL DISTANCING IN THE STUDIO (coming May 26). It features some of my picture book illustrator friends showing what they’ve been making while they’ve been at home in their studios. What have you been making?

Here are a few more links you might like:
PIGEON PRESENTS has information on my books, videos, and fun stuff.

Here are some FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS and other INFREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.

As a way to thank you for taking the time to write me, I’d like to give you this DOWNLOADABLE GAME that you can print out and play at home.

Thanks again for writing to me. I really appreciate it!

Rock on!