Don't Let the Knuffle Bunny Drive the Pigeon Bus

I have rediscovered many things about myself since we moved to New Jersey. The list is too long to record on this meager blog; however, I will tell you one thing I have added back to my life that I really missed.

READING.

I am not talking about reading just anything. I mean reading for pleasure. I used to read ALL the time as a kid. My copy of Ramona Forever by Beverly Cleary literally fell apart because I read it so much. I read all of the Ramona books, multiple times. I read Judy Blume, I read and adored the Boxcar Children and the Babysitters Club. And how about The Little House series...one of the best in all creation. As I got older and had to read some of the classics for English class, I fell in love with Heathcliffe in Wuthering Heights and Angel Clare in Tess of the d'Urbervilles. There were alot of stupid things that I read too.....anyone remember Beowulf? How about Paradise Lost? Those books did not deter me from reading, though. I just tried to find other things I liked.

Then I graduated from college...........and got married........and got a grown-up job.........and had two babies. All I had time to do was work, feed babies and wipe boogers (yes, Chris's too.). I couldn't even THINK about having time to just do something I enjoyed. I had to sleep when I got the chance!

Wow, I am totally rambling. To make a long story short, we moved here, I very fortunately got to take some time off from working (outside of the home), and I rediscovered literature...the really good, well-written, can't-put-it-down stuff. Harry, Ron and Hermione were there to welcome me back into this world of imagination that I didn't even realized I had missed. I love books....and I most DEFINITELY love children's picture books. My favorites will always be The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats and Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Absolute gems. I am Peter and I am Max.

One of our favorite activities to do together on the weekends, during breaks from school and during the summer is taking a trip to the library. We cannot go without spending at least an hour and coming out with a couple of bags loaded down with books and movies.

My children, thankfully, love to read. They have their favorites, too. One author that we can't get enough of is Mo Willems. He wrote Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Knuffle Bunny, and Knuffle Bunny Too, and won the Caldecott Medal for all three of them. They are funny, and the pictures are timeless. We love Mo and Knuffle Bunny and the pigeon and Piggie and Gerald.

Last night we had the wonderful opportunity to go see Mo Willems at Barnes and Noble. He read his new book, Knuffle Bunny Free and signed books. IT WAS AWESOME. I cannot explain the excitement I felt over getting to meet an award winning author. It was so cool. The kids were super excited too, but not near as excited as me!


I had to work yesterday, so my wonderful, gracious, sweet, darling husband went to Barnes and Noble first thing in the morning to get us a wristband. We had to have it for the book signing. We didn't find out until we got there that evening that all people with a purple wristband not only got in line first for the book signing, they also got to have a seat. Thank you Chris for getting us our purple wristband!!!!!!

Our sweet friend Emma and her mom Robbie met us there.

Mo!!!!!! He read his new Piggie and Gerald book first....it was funny!

Then he delighted us with Knuffle Bunny Free.

I know the kids had a great time, but they probably won't realize until they get older how fortunate they were to meet such an interesting and talented writer.


He was so funny and so nice!!!

Mo took some questions before he did his signing. Jordan was one of the people who got to ask him a question!!! She was so brave and she spoke clearly and loudly....I was so proud of her! I would have been terrified to do something like that as a kid. She asked him, "Where do you get all of your ideas for your stories?" His answer:

I always have ideas. It's like a garden, where everything grows at a different rate. Some ideas are more developed than others, and at just the right time I harvest them.

BRILLIANT.