NEW YORK (AP) — Author Mo Willems has sold millions of books and won many awards, but the accolade that means most to him is when a parent says their child read aloud for the first time from one of his books.
The author, illustrator and animator, 57, is best known for his bestselling picture books like the Caldecott Award-winning “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!” and “Knuffle Bunny.” His latest book, “Will the Pigeon Graduate?” may look like it’s aimed at children, but the titular Pigeon’s fear of failure and an uncertain future are sure to resonate with people of all ages, especially during graduation season.
Willems and his trusty friend The Pigeon (charmingly represented by puppeteer Bradley Freeman Jr.) recently sat down with The Associated Press for an interview about graduating, “Sesame Street,” and the purpose of life. Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.
AP: How did graduation come to mind for a book topic?
WILLEMS: As I am getting older, which I am, I’m getting into a new part of my life. And I’m wondering, am I equipped to be living in this part of life? And as I ask that question and I don’t have the answers, then I think, well, what is that metaphor that kids are going through? And graduation seemed like the perfect thing. I’m graduating to a new stage in my life, and kids do this all the time. You graduate to tying your shoe. You graduate the first time you read.
THE PIGEON: Like driving a bus.
WILLEMS: Yeah, well, except for driving a bus. That is something you cannot graduate to, if you’re a pigeon, but thank you for contributing to the conversation.
THE PIGEON: Of course.
AP: People may think this is just for graduates, but could it be about any transition?
WILLEMS: I think it’s about asking yourself, “Am I equipped for something that scares me?” The real world is scary. We’re always asking ourselves those questions. And often the answer is … I don’t know. And that’s something that might feel uncomfortable to sit with, but it’s also something that’s very, very exciting. So like right now, I’m doing an interview with you and a giant pigeon. Is this gonna work out? If I’m going to get a little bit philosophical, I would say often we’re trying to give the answers, and I think kids get exhausted from it. I want to give them the questions. I want them to have a chance to live with these questions themselves and work their way into an answer rather than telling them, “Oh, you’ll be fine.”
AP: Mr. Pigeon, what is your favorite part about collaborating on this book?
THE PIGEON: I really like how all of the books are about me. I like how I’m on, like, almost every page. You know, all of these books go through an approval process, and I get sent advanced — I call them screeners, nobody likes when I call them that! — but I get to look at them. And if I’m not on the first page and the last page, it does not get approved.
AP (to Willems): Can you reflect on your nine seasons as a writer and animator on “Sesame Street,” winning six Emmys and helping to develop “Elmo’s World”?
WILLEMS: My love of puppets, my love of sketch comedy, my love of counting to 40 — all these things that I really, really love — came from “Sesame Street”! And when it came time for me to make books, one of the things that I got to do that we didn’t get to do on “Sesame Street” at the time was write about failure. Write about not driving the bus rather than driving the bus. So on one level, it was like going to grad school. I loved it. I learned so much. I met all of these great puppets and puppeteers. On the other, the restrictions of the show allowed me to find my own voice.
AP: Obviously, one of the book’s messages is you have to believe in yourself.
WILLEMS: I don’t know. I’m glad that you think that that’s one of the messages because you brought something to that book. I only write 49% of the book. You put the meaning in the book; if the book is meaningful, that is because you are putting yourself within it. I try not to have messages as much as I can. I really try to live in the question.
AP: Mr. Pigeon, do you think your participation in this makes you a little bit of a philosopher?
THE PIGEON: Yeah, I think there’s a lot of very powerful things going on up here in this little bird brain. There’s a lot of really deep questions, like, I don’t know, can I drive the bus, maybe? You know, wondering maybe if I can stay up late? That would be really great.
WILLEMS: These are all fundamental Greek philosophical questions.
THE PIGEON: And what is the purpose of life?
WILLEMS: What is the purpose of life? Why are we here? Why are people mean? Why are people nice? Can I drive the bus?
THE PIGEON: Can I have a hot dog?
