If you have kids, you’re going to want to check out these Mo Willems activities and crafts!
Some authors create such a wonderful mass of work they deserve their own special post. This week, I’m spotlighting Mo Willems, who has infused humor kids love with an artistic simplicity that seems deceptively easy in his books.
Mo Willems just gets what makes kids giggle, laugh and get engaged. He doesn’t rely on extravagant artwork but rather uses his characters in such a targeted way that they carry the story without any additional fanfare. You can find Mo Willems books at your local library or purchase through the affiliate links provided for your convenience.
Mo Willems Activities, Crafts and Author Spotlight.
We first discovered Mo Willems not through his wildly popular pigeon series (Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive the Bus) but rather through his daughter’s beloved Knuffle Bunny, where Trixie loses her stuffed animal at the laundromat but can’t talk yet so she can’t tell her dad. We happened to get the book along with the Audio CD, which is top notch. As my son turned five, we latched on to Elephant and Piggie, who are part of an ongoing series for Mo Willems and now he is reading the series on his own!
To see all of Mo Willem’s books, visit his Amazon Author Page.
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale
Trixie, Daddy, and Knuffle Bunny take a trip to the neighborhood Laundromat. But the exciting adventure takes a dramatic turn when Trixie realizes somebunny was left behind Using a combination of muted black-and-white photographs and expressive illustrations, this stunning book tells a brilliantly true-to-life tale about what happens when Daddy’s in charge and things go terribly, hilariously wrong.
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
When a bus driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer springs up to take his place-a pigeon! But you’ve never met one like this before. As he pleads, wheedles, and begs his way through the book, children will love being able to answer back and decide his fate. In his hilarious picture book debut, popular cartoonist Mo Willems perfectly captures a preschooler’s temper tantrum.
Gerald and Piggie are best friends. In A Big Guy Took My Ball! Piggie is devastated when a big guy takes her ball! Gerald is big, too…but is he big enough to help his best friend?
Gerald has a big decision to make. But will he make it in time? Using vocabulary that is perfect for beginning readers (and vetted by an early-learning specialist), Mo Willems has crafted a funny story about the challenges of doing the right thing. Fans of the Geisel Award-winning duo will eagerly eat it up!
The Pigeon Needs a Bath!
The Pigeon really needs a bath! Except, the Pigeon’s not so sure about that. Besides, he took a bath last month! Maybe. It’s going to take some serious convincing to try and get the Pigeon to take the plunge.
Like these Mo Willems activities and books? Find even more engaging book lists for kids with more than 100 book-themed reading lists!
Mo Willems Crafts and Activities
Don’t Let The Pigeon Stay Up Late! Handprint Painting | Juggling with Kids
Knuffle Bunny in the Dryer Paper Plate Craft | Frogs to Fairy Dust
Toilet Paper Roll Pigeon Craft | This and That at the Library
Paper Plate Elephant Craft | DLTK’s Crafts for Kids
Pigeon Paper Hats | Diary of a First Grade Teacher
Ice Cream (Shaving Cream) Sharing Sensory Activity | Connecting Family & Seoul
Edible Pigeon with Rice Cakes | Creative Fun Mom
I Broke My Trunk Noisemaker | Thrive After Three
Learning to Draw with Mo Willems | The Educators’ Spin On It
Outdoor Nest Building | Mommy and Me Bookclub
Snake Sock Puppet | The Good Long Road
Knuffle Bunny Cupcakes | Jones Journal
Playdough Monsters | School Time Snippets
Construction Paper Pigeon | First Grader… At Last
Knuffle Bunny Washing Machine Craft | Thrive After Three
Birdseed Sensory Bin | Mom’s Tot School
DIY Pigeon T-Shirt | All This For Them
Squeeze Painting Hot Dog Craft | No Time for Flash Cards
Elephant and Piggie Paper Bag Hand Puppets | Three Little Birds
Naked Mole Rat Play Dough | Coffee Cups and Crayons
DIY Piggie’s Toy | Play Dr. Mom
About Mo Willems
A three-time Caldecott Honor winner for Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, Mo Willems has also won two Geisel Medals for There is a Bird on Your Head! and Are You Ready to Play Outside? And his books are perennial New York Times bestsellers. Before he turned to children’s books, Mo was a writer and animator on Sesame Street, where he won six Emmy Awards. Mo lives with his family in Massachusetts.
Life Breath Present says
August 11, 2014 at 9:35 amHaha! We just returned a Mi Wullems book, Time to Per. It was a fun read. Now I’ll have to certainly look for other if his books! 🙂
Jennifer says
August 16, 2014 at 1:59 pmOh definitely do!!!!! He’s an absolute fave in our house and has grown with my kids as their reading tastes change.
PlayDrMom says
August 11, 2014 at 4:08 pmGreat list of books and ideas! Thanks SO much for including one of my posts!
Jennifer says
August 16, 2014 at 2:01 pmAbsolutely! Love all of these ideas. And of course, Mo Willems rocks!
Lauren says
August 22, 2014 at 10:02 amwe love mo willems books in my house!! These craft ideas are great! Pinning for later!
Jodie @ Growing Book by Book says
August 22, 2014 at 10:11 amWe love Mo Willems. Such a talented author/illustrator. His Elephant and Piggie series is perfect for beginning readers.
Heather H says
June 4, 2015 at 9:38 pmWe love Mo Willems here as well. The Elephant & Piggie books worked well for us as a parent-child joint read aloud. I had no idea that there were so many activities to go along with his books – great roundup!
Jennifer Hughes says
June 5, 2015 at 10:53 amThere are so much more activities you can do… but these are some favorites 🙂
Jerusha (@TheDisneyChef) says
June 5, 2015 at 10:59 amI adore Mo Willems and so does my son. We are a pigeon-obsessed family for sure. In fact, whenever one of us leaves the house and the kids stay behind, like when their father goes to work or when I go to the gym, our tradition is to have everybody stand on the front porch and yell our own “pigeon jokes.” Things like “don’t let pigeon be late for work!” or “don’t let pigeon be crazy at Zumba class!”
Jennifer Hughes says
June 5, 2015 at 12:19 pmOMG. That’s awesome!!!! Made me smile 😀
Brittany says
June 17, 2015 at 1:22 pmGreat list – we just recently discovered Elephant and Piggie, so I know my son will love these activities! Stopping by via the Kid Lit Blog Hop!
Jennifer Hughes says
June 17, 2015 at 4:43 pmWe ADORE Elephant and Piggie. And made getting my son to start reading that much easier 🙂 Happy reading!
Emma says
June 29, 2015 at 4:09 amMo Willems is our favorite! Even after reading him 1000s of times (maybe more, lol!) my daughter and I both still get a kick out of that pigeon!
Emily says
August 19, 2016 at 9:40 amThese look so fun!! We will definitely have to check them out!!
samantha says
August 23, 2016 at 7:53 pmWe love Mo Willems books. My son is outgrowing them and my toddler growing into them right now. This is a great list of activities! Thanks for joining the Family Joy Link Party this week. 🙂
Sherry Ramsey says
July 10, 2017 at 7:48 amYour site won’t let me share on pinterest yet you have the Pinterest “pin” button?
The Jenny Evolution says
July 10, 2017 at 5:16 pmThere’s a blip going on with Pinterest right now. You may have to attempt it a couple of times before it goes through. Pinterest is aware of this bug and is trying to fix it. Thanks for taking the time to bring it to my attention. I appreciate it!