Former Sesame Street writer Mo Willems has been a best-selling picture-book author ever since he first introduced the world to a certain bird in the 2003 hit Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (Hyperion). In between the other modern classics he's written in the past few years, like Knuffle Bunny and Leonardo the Terrible Monster, Willems's pigeon has continually resurfaced, setting his sights on things like a hot dog and a later bedtime. The feathered curmudgeon never quite gets what he wants. Cookie talked to Willems about his reasons for secrecy and just why it is that the pigeon is so single-minded.
Q: Where did the idea for the contest come from?
A: After I first pitched the book to my editor, a lot of people in the office were asking what the subject matter was going to be. I told them they'd have to wait to find out, but they could take a guess. Then we thought, Hey, wouldn't it be great if kids could guess?
Q: But why the guessing game? Why not just tell everyone what the book will be about?
A: My philosophy is that my books are meant to be played, not just read. Wouldn't it be great to get children writing and drawing? And that's what they do in trying to guess what the book will be about. On the website there's a form where they're asked to draw what they think the cover of the book will be. Whoever gets it right—those kids will be entered in a drawing: 100 will get books, and one will get a school visit from me.
Q: Has anybody guessed correctly yet?
A: Well, I don't want to give it away. I'll just say that some have gotten pretty close. Ultimately the coolest entries are way out there—it's great to see what kids dream up with their imaginations.
Q: So what kinds of things have kids been guessing the pigeon would want?
A: There was one recently that was, "The Pigeon Wants Money." It's so to the point; no beating around the bush. The cover was just the pigeon going, "Yay! Money!" There was also "The Pigeon Wants an E-Mail Address," which is a very big issue for kids. And there was "The Pigeon Wants a Job," which showed the pigeon looking at a McDonald's—so he's apparently not shooting that high. I'm having a great time looking at all of these. For almost every one, I look at it and think, That would make a great book.
Q: So are you getting future book ideas from this?
A: The kids should make the books! Every kid should be able to make her own book. And the best way to start is to copy other people's characters. When I was young, I started out drawing Snoopy and Charlie Brown. Then, eventually, I moved on to my own characters. For me, the most exciting entries are the ones where I see the pigeon standing next to a kid's own character that he's invented. Those kids are already moving on to doing their own stuff. That rocks.
Q: Speaking of characters that rock, what are the pigeon's origins anyway?
A: The pigeon was born many, many years ago. I spent a month in Oxford, England. I wanted to write the Great American Picture Book, so I went to Oxford, because I thought it would make me smarter. I started writing really pretentious books. I'd sit in the park to sketch, and there was this pigeon who would keep showing up and interrupting me. It was like he was saying, "Why are you drawing that stuff? Draw me!" So I put him in my sketchbook to assuage him. Then I ended up showing the drawing to an agent, who said, "I think this is a book."
Q: So the real bird that inspired your pigeon was just as stubborn and in-your-face as the character is?
A: You know, over the years I've read a lot about pigeons, and it seems that they really are very single-minded in their desires. That unwillingness to give up is a real trait that occurs in real pigeons. I'd like to say that my pigeon having the same characteristics as a real pigeon is part of my inner genius, but in fact it was just luck.
Q: Of all the things the pigeon could have wanted on his first outing, why driving a bus?
A: It just seemed to me that the coolest thing possible in the world to do would be to drive a bus. I can't think of anybody who, given the opportunity to drive a bus, would say no.
Q: You've hinted that the pigeon might actually get what he wants this time. Will he retire after that happens? Or should we expect to keep seeing more of him?
A: In a sense, it's up to the pigeon. If he remains ornery and angry, he'll be around. If he gets mollified in any way, he may fade away. But it's really not up to me. Of all the stuff I do, I have least control over the pigeon. I'll know when I want to stop making Knuffle Bunny books, or if I don't want to do a sequel to a certain book, but with the pigeon, I'm at his mercy. It's a little bit of a codependent relationship I have with this bird. That's why he makes an appearance in every single book I've ever made. He sneaks in. He has a pretty big ego.
Q: One last question: Is there anything the pigeon wouldn't want?
A: To be told no.
