Author Mo Willems Talks to Two Young Superfans

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Sam, the Most Scaredycat Kid in the Whole World: A Leonardo, the Terrible Monster Companion

Mo Willems

Hardcover

$17.99

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Notes From Your Bookseller

There’s a certain squeal of excitement you hear when you make a child’s wildest dreams come true. I had the joy of hearing it recently, when I told my son and daughter that they would get to interview Mo Willems, their all-time favorite children’s book author and illustrator. Willems’ stories are modern classics, and his characters, which include The Pigeon, Knuffle Bunny, and Elephant and Piggie, are a beloved part of story time for countless children (and their parents, because his books are so much fun to read aloud).

Willems’ newest book, Sam, the Most Scaredy-cat Kid in the Whole World, is a companion to his hilarious Leonardo the Terrible Monster, and it’s on B&N bookshelves now. Mo Willems was such an incredible sport to let my kids ask him a few of the burning questions that all of us superfans have about his books, his fears, and Piggie’s real name.

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Leonardo, the Terrible Monster

Mo Willems

4.5

Hardcover

$19.99

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Notes From Your Bookseller

Cooper, age 6: I really like Sam, the Most Scaredy-cat Kid in the Whole World and Leonardo, the Terrible Monster. I read both books after being scared to go on a roller coaster. Are you scared of roller coasters?

Mo: Thank you. You went on a roller coaster!? You are braver than I am!

Addison, age 8: Is there anything you’re scared of?

Mo: I’m a pretty scaredy-cat fellow myself. I’m nervous around roller coasters and drink coasters!

Cooper: Why does Gerald have a name but Piggie doesn’t?

Mo: Piggie does have a name. Her name is “Piggie.” She was named that because when she was born she looked just like a little piggie.

Elephant Gerald is named after my favorite singer (say it fast, then ask a grown-up who digs jazz).

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Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (Caldecott Honor Book)

Mo Willems

4.9

Hardcover

$18.99

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Notes From Your Bookseller

And do you know what The Pigeon’s first name is?

“The.”

Cooper: Speaking of Gerald and Piggie, why did you stop writing stories about them?

Mo: One day I realized that I was curious about what I would write and draw if I wasn’t making new Elephant & Piggie adventures. As I became more and more curious, I decided to find out! So, now I get to discover new challenges (and still revisit Elephant & Piggie every now and then when they introduce new books in the “Elephant & Piggie Like Reading” series).

Addison: I have a question about Knuffle Bunny. Did you have a special toy when you were a kid?

Mo: I had a red lamb that I really liked. In fact, I liked it so much, I asked it to marry me.

Cooper: I have a lot of questions about The Pigeon. Do you actually have a pigeon?

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Waiting Is Not Easy! (Elephant and Piggie Series)

Mo Willems

Hardcover

$10.99

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Notes From Your Bookseller

Mo: I do not have a pigeon (or a bus), but my editor spends her free time helping to rescue injured pigeons!

Addison: I love to write stories too. Are you writing any new stories right now?

Mo: YES! I am sketching and drawing and thinking of kids like YOU. I can’t tell you what my stories are about until they’re finished, but I hope they’ll make you laugh so hard you’ll want to make your own stories.

Cooper: One last question. How did you learn to draw so many funny things?

Mo: Drawing funny stuff is like being an athlete. You practice every single day, experimenting, failing, and occasionally succeeding in making a good joke. If you do this long enough and work hard enough eventually you’ll grow funny muscles!

Thank you, Mo Willems. Your books are one of our greatest pleasures.

ELEPHANT & PIGGIE is a trademark of The Mo Willems Studio, Inc.
Photo credit: Jo Chattman.

Poured Over

Celebra el Mes de la Herencia Hispana con libros que inspiran, emocionan y dejan recuerdos imborrables.

Este Mes de la Herencia Hispana, te invitamos a descubrir una selección de libros para adultos y chicos que destacan el talento, la creatividad y la diversidad de grandiosos escritores latinoamericanos. Son historias que entretienen, inspiran, y nos permiten acercarnos a distintas experiencias y perspectivas, mientas celebramos las aportaciones de la comunidad hispana en los Estados Unidos.

The Black Shield: A Guest Post from Wilbur L. Cooper

In The Black Shield, reporter Wilbert L. Cooper explores the complex lives of Black cops living and working in Cleveland as part of the Black Shield organization. Read on for an essay from Wilbur L. Cooper about writing The Black Shield. When I talk about The Black Shield, I often tell people that I started writing it in 2020, the year of George Floyd's murder. I do this because the book is nominally about Black cops, and in the aftermath of Floyd's murder, there was a lot of talk about diversity as a panacea for the racial problems of American policing. Some people made the argument that the hiring of more Black cops would ensure that what happened to Floyd would never happen again. And it's true, I did spend 2020 talking to experts and historians, diving into police archives and reading studies. I did a lot of real journalism stuff. But if I’m being honest, I didn't start thinking about Black cops in 2020. I've been reflecting on the conflicting promise and plight of Black cops my whole life, because I was born into a family of Black cops. I've had family members in the Cleveland police department since the end of World War II up through the Black Lives Matter Era. And so I’ve been thinking about Black cops and what they mean and what they do since I was a child watching my mother, a strong Black woman named Gayle, don a blue uniform and a silver badge. Even as a little child, I desperately wanted to know who my mother transformed into when she went out into the world with a city-issued gun in her holster. And when there have been these visceral incidents of police violence like George Floyd or Tyre Nichols, I've wondered, What my mother's role could be in an institution like that? What does that killing have to do with the work of my father, my sister, my uncle and great uncles? To answer that question, I've been having talks with my family that I never had before, tracing their journeys into policing, as well as talks with their peers and Black cops from all across the country of various generations. So while The Black Shield encapsulates my own story, it's also filled with all of their testimony. Their witnessing for you from behind the blue wall is more harrowing than what you might hear from an activist who advocates for police abolition. For the readers who are still wondering if diversity can make policing work for Black folks, you will have a lot to think about when reading my book. But The Black Shield also addresses much bigger issues of family, assimilation, survival in America, and freedom. I hope that you all will go on that journey with me.

The Best Audiobooks of September 2026

September brings us cooler nights and the start of fall's biggest releases. Get ready for stories of threshing day with Rebecca Yarros, R. F. Kuang is back with a story of finding home and Harry Connick Jr. pays tribute to his late mother in musical style. These are just some of what's to come this fall season. Shop even more new releases here.