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Item Barcode | Collection | Call Number | Status | Item Holds |
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| 33607003584698 | Picture Books | WILLEMS | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
Mo Willems delivers a smorgasbord of hunger, hubris, regret, and redemption as a Busy Creature hilariously chomps and chews its way from A to P and then to Z.
Author Notes
Mo Willems was born on February 11, 1968. After graduating from New York University's Tisch School for the Arts, he spent a year traveling around the world drawing a cartoon every day, which were published in the book You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When it Monsoons. For nine seasons, he worked as a writer and animator for PBS' Sesame Street, where he received 6 Emmy Awards for his writing. During this time, he also served as a weekly commentator for BBC Radio and created two animated series, Nickelodeon's The Off-Beats and Cartoon Network's Sheep in the Big City.
While working as head writer for Cartoon Network's Codename: Kids Next Door, he began writing and drawing books for children. He received three Caldecott Honor Awards for Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! in 2004; Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale in 2005; and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity in 2008. He also created the Elephant and Piggie series for Easy Readers, which were awarded the Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal in 2008 and 2009.
His drawings, wire sculptures, and ceramics have been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums across the nation. Occasionally he serves as the Radio Cartoonist for NPR's All Things Considered. He voices and produces animated cartoons based on his books with Weston Woods studios. The animated Knuffle Bunny was awarded Best Film during the New York International Children's Film Festival in 2008 and received the Andrew Carnegie Medal in 2007. His title Happy Pig Day made Publisher's Weekly Best Seller List for 2011. In 2012 his title Goldilocks and The Three Dinosaurs made The New York Times Best Seller List. In 2013 his titles: That is Not a Good Idea!, Let's Go for a Drive! and I'm a Frog! made the New York Times Best Seller List. In 2014 The Pigeons Need a Bath! and Waiting Is Not Easy! made the New York Times Best Seller List.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-"Do not try this at home!" cautions Willems as he proceeds to tell the story of a hungry little purple creature that eagerly eats its way through the alphabet, though not without consequence. Snuggling in bed with a one-eyed Knuffle bunny, the protagonist awakens to a new day of eating and "AAAA-ZING!" it's off to the kitchen where the hungry tyke gobbles up apples, berries, cereal, doughnuts, and eggs (straight from the crate). Momentarily stumped on what to eat next, it proceeds to chow down on the furniture. Further courses feature other food and non-food items from ice cream to lunch boxes with equal enthusiasm; but the plot changes when the tenacious eater groans and then it's a mad dash to the bathroom (potty) with dad coming to the rescue. ("Queasy? Rice. Saltines. Tea.") The accompanying illustrations speak volumes as readers watch the poor, now slightly green, purple creature accept comfort from its concerned father who finally deposits the exhausted little one back into bed to snuggle once again with bunny; after all, tomorrow is another day. Willems's distinct clever, outrageous humor gives children a hilarious picture book alphabet that tells a story with minimal text. Challenge students to plan the character's menu for the rest of the week or pair with Nick Bruel's Bad Kitty for another culinary alphabet adventure. VERDICT A first purchase for all libraries serving children.-Barbara Auerbach, formerly at New York City Public Schools © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
G is for gluttony (ok, "gravy," technically) in Willems's madcap abecedary, built around a youngster who devours everything in sight, then suffers the consequences. Purple, wide-eyed, and resembling a cross between a monkey, dog, and Muppet, the young creature explodes out of bed and into an alphabetical meal of "Apples! Berries! Cereal!" It isn't pretty: Granny Smiths and strawberries go flying, and the creature dives face-first into its cereal bowl. The text is limited to whatever the creature is eating at the moment (and the accompanying alphabet letter), and Willems captures each moment in frenetically cartooned vignettes and larger scenes. Soon, food isn't enough: "Jacket! Kilt! Lunch Box!" (Hilariously, the creature dumps the food out of the lunch box before devouring it.) Queasiness follows (just in time for Q), and parental consolation is required: V is for "vomit," a much tidier affair than all of the eating that precedes it. There are a lot of laughs in this feeding frenzy, but just as much tenderness in the final scenes, which poignantly reflect the ABCs of TLC. Ages 3-5. Agent: Marcia Wernick, Wernick & Pratt. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.