Meet the author

Mo Willems.

Writer & illustrator · United States · b. 1968

Mo Willems: creator of the Pigeon books, Elephant & Piggie, and Knuffle Bunny — the cultural-staple American picture-book and early-reader voice for ages 3–7, with pitch-perfect comic timing.

Mo Willems is an American author-illustrator born in 1968, one of the defining picture-book and early-reader voices of the twenty-first century. Best known for the Pigeon books (Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, …Stay Up Late!, etc.), the Elephant & Piggie early-reader series (twenty-five short, deceptively simple friendship comics that are the gold standard for emergent reader books), and the Knuffle Bunny picture-book trilogy. Willems came up in television (Sesame Street, Sheep in the Big City) and his picture books reflect that performance instinct, pitch-perfect timing, breaking the fourth wall, exaggerated character expression. Three Caldecott Honors, six Geisel Awards. A genuine cultural-staple early-childhood author.