I love me some Mo Willems. From his offbeat TV shows (like Sheep in the Big City or . . . well, The Offbeats) to his illustrated travelogue, You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When It Monsoons. I’ve been a fan of his for a long time. And I’m so glad to see the success he’s found in writing children’s books, and even more so that said success has come straight from his unique personality.
Like I say, Mo Willems is an offbeat flavor. He’s funky. Quirky. But there’s a real earnestness underlying that goofiness. And sometimes, it seems hard for kid’s authors to capture both that silliness and sweetness in a story, without having one or both aspects seem forced.
I guess that’s what I mean when I reference Mo’s ‘unique personality’: his humor, his storytelling feels effortless, unforced. What you’re reading is pure Mo. And if you like pure Mo, then you’re gonna like what you’re reading.
Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! is about a pigeon that wants to stay up late, comes up with all sorts of reasons why it SHOULD stay up late. It implores you, begs you, bribes you, berates you, can it PLEASE stay up late?
And I won’t spoil for you whether or not it does. If you’re an older reader, you might already know that ending. But it’s the journey that’s so fun, the ending doesn’t even much matter. From the moment you’re ushered into the story by a pajamaed human–asking you to do him a favor by making sure the pigeon doesn’t stay up late–through pages upon pages of pigeon-y excuses. And if you’re reading to little ones, think of all those exclamation points! What a riot!
Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! is a simple story with simple artwork. Most pages consist of just the pigeon on a blank, single-colored background. But with Mo, you don’t need much more than that. The expressiveness of his characters speaks volumes enough. It is pure delight.
I root for Mo Willems. He’s already ‘made it’, doesn’t need, but he’s one of those authors I find myself rooting for, actively wanting to succeed.
So please: discover Mo in some capacity. Through the Pigeon stories, through his shows, in some way. Because Mo Willems? He’s offbeat, but dang, if that cat ain’t cool.
- Goodreads rating – 4.32
- SUMMARY – Jon Hewelt