Kids' Author Mo Willems Has A New Creative Challenge (And So Should You)

Mo Willems feels like he's going back to second grade. The acclaimed children's author is the first ever Education Artist-in-Residence at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and even with all his awards and bestsellers, he says it's pretty scary.

"I get to be really, really terrified in all kinds of new different ways," Willems says — but that doesn't mean he's not having fun. "There are all these sandboxes that I don't usually get to play in."

Willems — who created the Pigeon series, Knuffle Bunny, and Elephant & Piggie — is exploring all sorts of artistic sandboxes at the Kennedy Center. He's collaborating with Ben Folds on a "symphonic spectacular"; he's working with Jason Moran on a Jazz Doodle Jam; and he's adapting Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus into a musical.