The Comic Genius that is Mo Willems

If you haven't picked up a book by Mo Willems, shame on you.

You may be using excuses like "I don't know who he is!" or "I don't have kids!".  Well, today is the day that all excuses are thrown out the window because you're getting your education on Mo Willems.

Willems is the author of the following examples of hilarity:

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Each of these books are marvelous examples of his amazing humor.  Why so amazing?  Because kids and adults laugh equally!  If you have kids, you probably know that sometimes there are books that your kid LOVES, but you cannot stand! (And you read it anyway, because you're a good parent.)  But I promise you that even being the responsible and mild-mannered adult that you are, you will laugh your head off reading anything by Mo Willems.

Why do kids love them? Because they can relate to them! Willems knows what he's doing when it comes to tricking kids into empathizing with characters.  Know a kid who swears he's not tired and wants to stay up?  Or maybe one who is having a hard time sharing with others?  Give him Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late or The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!.  For the kid who needs help growing up and letting go of childhood things, the Knuffle Bunny trilogy is a MUST!  (It's based on his real-life daughter, Trixie, and her beloved Knuffle (say: KA-nuffle) Bunny).  And for those kids who need to know it's okay, and even usually preferable, to do things differently than their peers, there is Leonardo the Terrible Monster and Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed.  Willems has experience in writing excellent material for kids as he won several Emmys as a writer on Sesame Street.

For the littlest readers, Willems has the Cat the Cat series:

Beginning readers will learn to read with rhyming words and phonetic sounds (not the mention the adorable and fun illustrations!).

But my favorite, above all of his other works, is the Elephant and Piggie series.  

With 15 titles, and more on the way, these books are literally LAUGH OUT LOUD funny.  I had my fellow teachers ROLLING over the book, Can I Play Too?, in which a snake wants to play catch with Gerald (the elephant) and Piggie.  The problem?  The snake was missing something essential for playing catch: arms.

Other titles like I Broke My Trunk!, Elephants Cannot Dance!, Pigs Make Me Sneeze!, and There Is a Bird on Your Head!, will provide you and your children with hours of hysterical entertainment.  And if you have no children, you'll be laughing anyway!  The cover art alone is enough to get you giggling:

So the next time you're feeling down, or your kids are pestering you for a new book, do yourself a favor and pick up a Mo Willems title...and maybe a second pair of undies...you'll probably need them. ;)

Jennifer

**For those of you who are already familiar with Willems' work, keep your eyes and ears open for Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, currently in the works.

***You can also follow Willems' Pigeon on Twitter: @The_Pigeon.

(Photos from various blogs and Google Images)