KNUFFLE BUNNY FREE releases today!

The final installment of the Knuffle Bunny Trilogy is available at your favorite bookstore or library today!

If you're in the area, I'll see on tour!


Bonus: here's a profile about today's event in the Springfield, MA paper.

WE ARE IN A BOOK! publishes today!

My favorite Elephant and Piggie adventure to date!

Gerald is careful. Piggie is not.

Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can.

Gerald worries so that Piggie does not have to.

Gerald and Piggie are best friends.

In We Are in a Book! Gerald and Piggie discover the joy of being read. But what will happen when the book ends?!

In a starred review, KIRKUS said of the 4th-Wall-Breaking tale:

"Emergent readers just beginning to grapple one-on-one with the rules of the printed codex will find the friends' antics both funny and provocative: Just who is in control here, anyway? As always, Willems displays his customary control of both body language and pacing even as he challenges his readers to engage with his characters and the physicality of their book."

Get it at your local bookshop, library, or here.

I hope you and your readers enjoy!

Klassic Krazy Kool Kids Komics!

The studio post has just delivered my copies of The Golden Collection of Klassic Krazy Kool Kids Komics!, a big, fat anthology of old kids comics (mostly) from the 40's & 50's by greats like Suess, Wolverton, Feiffer, Frazetta, Ditko, Kirby, Wood, Barks, Hoff, and more.

I was delighted to write a short introduction to the volume.

The book is really huge (This review tells the story pretty well) & is filled with wonderfully weird stuff. A great companion to Speigleman & Mouly's better spelled The Toon Treasury of Classic Children's Comics, with a longer intro by pal Jon Scieszka.

TIME TO SLEEP, SHEEP THE SHEEP! publishes today!

I hope you enjoy Cat the Cat's latest adventure!

Elephant and Piggie's CAN I PLAY TOO? publishes TODAY!

Today marks the publication of Elephant and Piggie's 12th adventure, CAN I PLAY TOO? I hope you'll check it out at your favorite local bookseller or library!

In Can I Play Too? Gerald and Piggie meet a new snake friend who wants to join in a game of catch. But don’t you need arms to catch?

CITY DOG, COUNTRY FROG publishes TODAY!

Today is the publication of City Dog, Country Frog a book I wrote with illustrations by the great Jon J Muth.

In spring, when City Dog runs free in the country for the first time, he spots Country Frog sitting on a rock, waiting for a friend. "You'll do," Frog says, and together they play Country Frog games. In summer, they meet again and play City Dog games. Through the seasons, whenever City Dog visits the country he runs straight for Country Frog's rock. In winter, things change for City Dog and Country Frog. Come spring, friendship blooms again, a little different this time.

Mo Willems' spare, poignant text and Jon J Muth's expressive watercolors team up to present a reflection on the natural course of friendship--and life--that will resonate with readers of all ages.

I hope you enjoy.

city dog, country frog trailer

The upcoming release of City Dog, Country Frog just clocked in at #2 on the Summer IndieBound Kids Next List, recommendations from the country's confederation of independent booksellers (Thanks, IndieBound!)

Below is a short 'sizzle' video about the book written by myself and illustrated by the Great Jon J Muth.

I hope you enjoy the book when it's released next week.

CAN I PLAY TOO? preview!

The old mail-bag is filled with fun stuff lately, including my preview copy of Elephant & Piggie's next adventure, Can I Play Too? It's always fun to have the actual, real book in your hands. Somehow it's much different than all of the printouts, proofs, and what have you.

Gerald is careful. Piggie is not. Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can.

Gerald and Piggie are best friends.

In Can I Play Too? Gerald and Piggie meet a new snake friend who wants to join in a game of catch. But don't you need arms to catch?

I like this one. Snake was good fun to draw. I hope you enjoy this one when it comes out in early June.

Available at your favorite local bookseller or library in early June. Pre-order here.

What's Your Sound Hound the Hound? publishes TODAY!

I hope you'll enjoy Cat the Cat's latest adventure, What's Your Sound Hound the Hound?

The folks at Kirkus say: "Willems’s third Cat the Cat book might be the best one yet...This book is the cat’s meow."

Kirkus Likes WHAT'S YOUR SOUND HOUND THE HOUND?

Thanks to the recently resuscitated Kirkus reviews for their nice words about Cat the Cat's 3rd adventure What's Your Sound, HOUND the HOUND?

They say:

Willems’s third Cat the Cat book might be the best one yet....Vibrantly colored digital art delivers the clean, animation-like style that fans expect while packing a lot of narrative and expressive punch. This book is the cat’s meow.

Welcome back, Kirkus, & thanks!

What's Your Sound, HOUND the HOUND publishes at the end of the month.

What's Your Sound Hound the Hound? PREVIEW

The old studio mailbag had my preview copy of Cat the Cat's latest adventure: What's Your Sound HOUND the HOUND?

It's always cool to have the real book in your hands after a few years of work on it.

I hope you enjoy it when it publishes at the end of the month!

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! is 7 years old today!

And he has yet to drive a bus! A big thank you from the Bus Driver (and me!).

Woof!

My preview of the upcoming picture book CITY DOG, COUNTRY FROG by pal Jon Muth and myself has just arrived in the studio mail.

At least one member of the studio team couldn't wait to get his paws on it!

I hope you'll get your paws on a copy when it comes out in June.

Cat the Cat publishes TODAY!

Today is the pub date for Cat the Cat's first two adventures!


Cat the Cat, Who is That?



and Let's Say Hi to Friends Who Fly!



I hope you enjoy them!

Spot the Pigeon! (NY Times Bestseller!)

Can you find the Pigeon in the just published I Am Going!?

You can? Cool.

Oh, and thanks to you, debuts on the NYTimes Bestseller list at #2 along side pals Jerry Pinkney, Mark Teague, Jane Yolen, and Peter Brown. This is an unexpected treat! Thanks, you!

Huzzah!

Spiderwicked Cool...

A cool recent arrival in the studio mailbag:


The complete Spiderwick Chronicles by pals Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black in one volume!

It also includes great behind the scenes sketches by Tony and a fan gallery with Spiderwick inspired sketches by cool folks like Peter Brown, Eleanor Davis, Scott Fischer, Jarrett J. Krosooczka, LeUyen Pham, Dan Santat, Peter McCarty, Danny Yaccarino and mo' (Literally. I'm in there too).

It's a pretty cool volume and worth checking out.

Cat the Cat in my Studio the Studio!

A recently arrived package to Knuffle Manor contained my first two actual copies of Cat the Cat's premier adventures, Cat the Cat, Who Is That? and Let's Say HI to Friend Who Fly!

It's always a thrill to hold one of your books in your hands.

I hope you'll get a kick when you put one in your hands starting Mardi Gras day (February 16). I'll be touring around reading it for the week after that, so please drop by and say 'hello'.

Huzzah!

Elephant and Piggie's I AM GOING! publishes TODAY!

Today is the pub date for Elephant and Piggie's latest adventure, I Am Going!

Gerald is careful. Piggie is not.

Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can

Gerald worries so that Piggie does not have to.

Gerald and Piggie are best friends.

In I Am Going! Piggie ruins a perfectly good day

by telling Gerald he is going. But if Piggie goes, who will

Gerald play ping-pong and wear silly hats with?

I hope you enjoy it!

CAT the CAT’s a STAR! (according to PW)

Publishers' Weekly likes Cat the Cat and her friends! In a starred review of both CAT THE CAT WHO IS THAT? and LET'S SAY HI TO FRIENDS WHO FLY! they say:

Willems provides just enough humor and surprise to entertain youngest audiences... Cat could become another favorite; her personality sparkles in expansive gestures and gleeful interactions.

Huzzah!

Hopefully, you'll like them as well when they are published next month!

(and a quick note: The Pigeon would like to thank everyone for their kind tweets and coos over yesterday's good news.)

I AM GOING! is coming!

I just got my box of copies of Elephant and Piggie's newest adventure, I Am Going!

It's always great to have the actual books in my hands!

You can get your copy starting January 26th at your local library or favorite book shop.