AUTHOR MO WILLEMS LETS HIS IMAGINATION TAKE WING.Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Staff Writer Like his absurdly lovable lov·a·ble also love·a·ble adj. Having characteristics that attract love or affection. lov character, Pigeon pigeon, common name for members of the large family Columbidae, land birds, cosmopolitan in temperate and tropical regions, characterized by stout bodies, short necks, small heads, and thick, heavy plumage. , celebrated children's writer-illustrator Mo Willems just won't go away. A two-time Caldecott Honor winner (``Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus'' and ``Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale''), Willems has continued to garner attention with acclaimed titles, including ``Time to Pee!'' and ``The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog.'' Now, he has two new board books out, ``The Pigeon Loves Things That Go!'' and ``The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!'' Next month marks the release of ``Time to Say Please!'' and this fall, ``Leonardo, the Terrible Monster'' is scheduled for release. Willems recently took a break from writing at his Connecticut home to talk to the Daily News about kids and books, pigeons and his latest releases. Q: You had an amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. career before you started writing children's books. You were a script writer and filmmaker for ``Sesame Street Sesame Street is an American educational children's television series for preschoolers and is a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. ,'' for which you received six Emmys awards for writing. You also created Cartoon Network's ``Sheep in the Big City'' and Nickelodeon's ``The Off-Beats,'' and you most recently served as head writer on Cartoon Network's ``Codename: Kids Next Door.'' What inspired you to write children's books? A: There are two reasons. One is selfish and the other is kind of selfish. The very selfish reason is if I wrote books I would be able to work at home. I have a young child and I love the idea of having lunch with my family every day. I wanted to be back in the business where I could work at home. The other kind of selfish reason is that I had more freedom in writing books than I had in writing for television. Q: Of all the birds in the world, why did you decide to write about a pigeon? A: Pigeons are funny; it's as simple as that. Unlike my other books where I did all the legwork leg·work n. Informal Work, such as collecting information or doing research in preparation for a project, that involves much walking or traveling about. , Pigeon appeared on the page of my sketch book sketch book n → bloc m de dibujo sketch book n → carnet m à dessin sketch book n → album and would not stop pestering me until I put him in a book. Q: You introduced a new character called the Duckling duckling baby duck. in ``The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog.'' Where did the Duckling come from? A: The Duckling came from when I was trying to find a match for Pigeon, who wouldn't stop bothering me. I'm an only child, so when I see my wife and her brother, (their relationship) seems very interesting and very foreign to me. I wanted to create a dialogue between siblings siblings npl (formal) → frères et sœurs mpl (de mêmes parents) . Q: ``Knuffle Bunny,'' your second Caldecott Honor book, seems autobiographical. What was your inspiration for the story? A: It is completely true except for the parts I made up. The family in that story is very close to my family. I have a daughter with quite a personality, a wife who is very smart and I'm the bumbling bum·ble 1 v. bum·bled, bum·bling, bum·bles v.intr. 1. To speak in a faltering manner. 2. To move, act, or proceed clumsily. See Synonyms at blunder. v.tr. father. It's also a love letter to my Brooklyn neighborhood. I wanted to create a photo album of my neighborhood. My hope is to do another book featuring this family. I really want to create a series of books about issues in this family as they age. Q: You have a daughter. How old is she? A: She will be 4 next week. Q: Does she laugh at your books? A: She thinks her books are funnier. She's probably right; I'm not going to disagree with Verb 1. disagree with - not be very easily digestible; "Spicy food disagrees with some people" hurt - give trouble or pain to; "This exercise will hurt your back" her. Q: Who are your favorite authors? A: Actually, I like books written by kids. I find them to be the funniest, the most intriguing in·trigue n. 1. a. A secret or underhand scheme; a plot. b. The practice of or involvement in such schemes. 2. A clandestine love affair. v. . I've gotten ``Don't Let the Pigeon Operate the Catapult'' and ``Don't Let the Pigeon Audit Your Neighbor.'' It was brilliant. It was really funny. As far as professional people, there are so many people to like. My daughter is crazy for Kevin Henkes (winner of the 2005 Caldecott Medal for ``Kitten's First Full Moon''). He's a super talent. They all have such great individual vision. There's no one I really want to emulate but a lot of people I want to read. Q: You're a prolific writer. You have two new board books out starring the Pigeon, a new book called ``Time to Say Please!'' comes out next month and ``Leonardo, the Terrible Monster'' is due for release in September. What do you do when you're not writing? A: I love to walk, I love to take odd walks. When I was 15, I walked across France, tracing the route of Napoleon. I really enjoyed that. I enjoy spending time "Spending Time" is the first single released by Christian artist Stellar Kart. The lyrics describe the band members desire to spend "more time with God". "Sometimes it’s a real struggle to spend time with God. with my family. I love a little pasta, a glass of wine, hanging out with my friends. That's fun for me. CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1) no caption (Mo Willems) (2 -- 3) no caption (book covers) |
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