Author Study: Mo Willems

Our trip to the Flynn Theater to see Knuffle Bunny prompted an impromptu author/illustrator study! I was planning to read and do activities related to the Knuffle Bunny books all along, to help students get ready to see the play. It became clear quite quickly that everyone wanted to learn more about Mo Willems and his books. We have greatly enjoyed his "Elephant and Piggie" books in the classroom since the beginning of the year, and the "Pigeon" books are favorites of several students in the class. So, we are digging a little deeper into the work of Mo Willems!

On Tuesday, we put on our "theatrical hats" and did some drama activities related to Knuffle Bunny. Students enjoyed using their bodies and faces to show emotions and using pantomime to act out excerpts from the story (called "solo acts"). We also used a stuffed rabbit--a stand-in for Knuffle Bunny--in some of our activities. Why I did not take out my camera and video camera during these activities is a mystery. I guess I was just too busy having fun with everyone!

Today, students LOVED learning how to draw the beloved "Pigeon" that shows up in many of Mo Willems' books. We used the how-to found on the following website to guide our efforts:

http://www.pigeonpresents.com/activities/pigeon_draw01.pdf

Here's one of the many FANTASTIC drawings students created:

I have many more activities in mind, so there will be more fun with Mo Willems books to come. 

This is Mo Willems. He writes and illustrates great books that help make students enthusiastic about reading! Thanks, Mo!