Mo Willems Books In Order

Publication Order of Knuffle Bunny Books

Publication Order of Elephant & Piggie Books

Publication Order of Pigeon Books

Publication Order of Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! Books

Publication Order of Leonardo Books

Publication Order of Cat the Cat Books

Publication Order of Time to... Books

Publication Order of Unlimited Squirrels Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Collections

Publication Order of Anthologies

Illustrator and author Mo Willems was born in Des Plaines, Illinois on February 11, 1968. He grew up in New Orleans, where he graduated from Isidore Newman School and Trinity Episcopal School. He graduated cum laude from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Mo initially became interested in cartoon art when he was a little kid. He started drawing and creating his own characters around the age of three or four. Willems enjoyed penning tales about the characters he created and shared them with others, but got disappointed when adults just praised his work to be polite.

To combat this, he began penning funny tales. He realized that even the most polite adults were unable to fake a laugh. If they adults laughed, he knew the tale was actually good and it was a bad story if they still gave out polite comments.

After graduating from Tisch, he spent an entire year traveling around the entire world drawing, one cartoon each day, which got published in “You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When it Monsoons”.

In the year 2003, he left his career in television in order to become a stay-at-home dad for his daughter. He liked the idea of having lunch with his entire family each day, and he just wanted to be back in a business that allowed him to work from home. Mo feels more freedom writing books than he had writing for television, too.

He is best known for the Caldecott Honor winning picture books “Knuffle Bunny: a cautionary tale” and “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus”. His “Elephant and Piggie” series has won the Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal in 2008 and 2009 as well as Geisel Honors in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.

His books have spawned animated shorts and theatrical music productions and been translated into several languages. While his wire sculpture, illustrations, and carved ceramics have been exhibited in museums and galleries all around the nation.

Mo started his career as an animator and writer for television, getting six Emmy awards for his writing on Sesame Street from 1993 until 2002, creating Nickelodeon’s The Off Beats, Cartoon Network’s Sheep in the Big City, and head-writing Codename: Kids Next Door.

When he was working on Sesame Street, he also performed stand up comedy in New York City and recorded essays for BBC Radio.

“Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” is a book in the “Pigeon” series, which was released in the year 2003. A bus driver takes a respite from his route, and a very unlikely volunteer steps up to take his place. A pigeon. You have never met one quite like this before. He wheedles, begs, and pleads, and begs his way right through the book.

“The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog” is a book in the “Pigeon” series, which was released in the year 2004. Pigeon finds a delicious hot dog, he can’t wait to put the whole thing in his beak. A very hungry and sly duckling comes in and wants a bite. Who exactly is going to be the more clever bird?

“The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too” is a book in the “Pigeon” series, which was released in the year 2005. What is it like to be a Pigeon? The bus driver is attempting to get him to act happy, however, as we all know, this is a bird that won’t be told what to do. Through this book, Pigeon runs through his own signature brand of emotions while trying to thwart his old nemesis.

“The Pigeon Loves Things That Go!” is a book in the “Pigeon” series, which was released in the year 2005. Pigeon deliriously emotes at the very thought of driving a car, a plane, and a train, and more.

“Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!” is a book in the “Pigeon” series, which was released in the year 2006. The pajama wearing bus driver, who hurries away to brush his teeth, begs the kids reading not to all his feathered buddy to stay up too late. Youngsters get thrust into the caregiver role while the puerile pigeon tries to talk his way out of the inevitable.

He comes up with requests that manipulative, with things like good shows about birds on tv that should be educational. Then there is the the cajoling things, when he says him and the other person never do talk anymore and he wants to know about their day. Or the classic: him wanting some water.

The whole time, the bird fights yawns and attempts to stay awake, despite his drooping lid. Defying his tiredness to the very last, he falls asleep, grasping his stuffed bunny under his wing.

“Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale” is a book in the “Knuffle Bunny” series, which was released in the year 2004. This hilarious tale tells just how Knuffle Bunny and Trixie’s trip off to the Laundromat with Dad goes horribly wrong as Trixie realizes that some bunny has been left behind. She tries to tell Dad the entire way home and is unsuccessful about it, until Mom points out Knuffle Bunny is not with them any longer. The family returns to the Laundromat. Good news is KB is safe, if a bit wet.

“Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity” is a book in the “Knuffle Bunny” series, which was released in the year 2007. Trixie cannot wait to bring Knuffle Bunny to her school and show him off to everybody. When she gets there, she sees something just terrible: Sonja has got the same exact bunny. All of a sudden, Knuffle Bunny does not seem as one-of-a-kind as he once did. Chaos ensues until both bunnies are taken by Ms. Greengrove. After school, she gets her bunny back to her. In the middle of the night she realizes that she has been given Sonja’s by mistake.

Dad comes to the rescue once again with a midnight swap being arranged with the other little girl and the other bunny, and other dad. The dads, needless to say, aren’t too happy. Trixie has got her bunny back by the end, but she also has something new, too. Her first best friend.