Mo Willems

Author Mo Willems might not be a household name for a lot of folks; even his Twitter handle doesn’t use his own name. It does, however, use the name of the creation that has made him a favorite of young readers everywhere: The Pigeon, the pleading, overly enthusiastic, wonderfully childlike hero of books like Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!. Those, along with his Elephant & Piggie books and the Caldecott Honors-winning Knuffle Bunny and Knuffle Bunny Too, have established Willems not just with kids, but with parents who love the sly wit he inserts into simple picture books.

His latest creation, Goldilocks & the Three Dinosaurs, offers a unique spin on a familiar tale. As you might expect, there’s a little girl who comes to an unfamiliar house. But this house is the residence of three dinosaurs: “Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur and some other Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway.” It might not be a coincidence that they decide to cook “three delicious bowls of chocolate pudding at varying temperatures,” or that they decide to leave and go “someplace else” while Mama Dinosaur says, “I sure hope no innocent little succulent child happens by our unlocked house”—followed by “a loud noise that sounded like a big, evil laugh but was probably just a polite Norwegian expression.”

Join the author as he brings his charming storytelling to Salt Lake City, with a chance to get all your favorite stories signed by the Pigeon himself. (Scott Renshaw)