Mo Willems

Mo Willems is an author, illustrator, animator, and playwright who serves as the inaugural Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence. In this role, Willems collaborates on projects involving classical music, opera, comedy concerts, dance, painting, and digital works with organizations such as the National Symphony Orchestra and artists including Ben Folds and Yo-Yo Ma.

Willems is recognized for his No. 1 New York Times bestselling picture books, which have received three Caldecott Honors for "Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!," "Knuffle Bunny," and "Knuffle Bunny Too." His work has also earned two Theodor Geisel Medals and five Geisel Honors for the "Elephant & Piggie" series.

Willems' art has been exhibited internationally, with major solo retrospectives at the High Museum in Atlanta and the New-York Historical Society in New York City. He is a leading playwright in Theater for Young Audiences in the United States, having written or co-written four musicals based on his books.

Willems began his career as a writer and animator on PBS' Sesame Street, where he received six Emmy Awards for writing. His television work includes two series on Cartoon Network: "Sheep in the Big City," which he created and served as head writer, and "Codename: Kids Next Door," where he was head writer. Willems has developed television projects for HBOMax, including the live action comedy special "Don’t Let the Pigeon Do Storytime!"

His papers are housed at Yale University's Beinecke Library.