: Mo Willems

Mo Willems began his career as a writer and animator for television, garnering six Emmy Awards for his writing on Sesame Street, creating Nickelodeon’s The Off-Beats, Cartoon Network’s Sheep in the Big City and head-writing Codename: Kids Next Door.

Often called “the Dr. Seuss of his generation,” Mo is among the most popular book author / illustrators of all time. He is a New York Times #1 Best Selling author and illustrator, and his work has garnered 3 Caldecott Honors, 2 Theodor (Seuss) Geisel Medals, 2 Carnegie Medals, and a Geisel Honor.

Mo wrote the script and lyrics for Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, commissioned by the Kennedy Center for its 2010 season, and his drawings and sculptures have been exhibited in numerous museums across the nation. His Red Elephant found a permanent home at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.

“It is no accident that my main character is a bird.  I am jealous of avian freedom and desire to flit off to the country just like them.”

See more of Mo’s work here