#98: A shrine of a bus-driving pigeon.
Reader, we arrive at the ninety-eighth post in this here newsletter! We’re getting dangerously close to one hundred of these little notes, and while I have something specific planned for that milestone, it’s not what’s on my mind tonight. No, tonight like most recent nights, I am thinking about Mo Willems.
For the uninitiated, Mo Willems is a god in the children’s picture book landscape. He’s one of those rare author-illustrators where every word and picture comes from his brilliant mind. He started his career working on Sesame Street, but his 2003 Caldecott Medal winning book Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! put his playful words and funny drawings into the hearts and minds of kids and adults everywhere. Reader, if you don’t have kids yourself or yours have been fully grown for quite some time, the Pigeon may not be on your radar, but trust me when I say this: he’s a big deal.
As of the typing of these words, my wife and I are in the preparation stage for our daughter’s third birthday at the end of the month. This year, we decided to go full on pigeon theme. She derives so much joy and laughter from that that curious and impulsive little bird. Since she was old enough to hold her head up, Abigail and I have had a nightly bedtime ritual of reading three to eight books before the lights go out. The Pigeon’s many adventures with not only the bus, but with hot dogs, Santa, baths, the duckling, and so much more have been constant staples in our twilight routine. (Reader, I have no shame in admitting to you that I do one hell of a pigeon read.) While easily his most popular book, Willems is far from a one hit wonder. So many of his stories and characters have left lasting impressions on children everywhere, and one of Abbie’s favorite characters is Trixie.
Over the last few months, Abbie will inevitably ask me, “Daddy, can we read Trixie last?” Trixie is the main protagonist in the Willems’s Knuffle Bunny trilogy of books. Knuffle Bunny is the story of a little girl and her attachment towards her stuffed bunny. The first (and probably most popular) of the series is a simple tale of Trixie and her dad’s trip to their local laundromat. Trixie, just a little baby who only babbles, leaves her beloved Knuffle Bunny behind, and after realizing it on the walk back to their Brooklyn apartment, can’t express to her father what happened. When her dad, with the help of mom, eventually figure it out, the family rushes back, finds the bunny, and Trixie is so happy she says her first words: “Knuffle Bunny!” The book is so incredibly cute, and Willems uses real photography for the settings and draws his cartoon characters over them. It’s quite a striking art style.
Reader, for years, parents would tell me how amazing this story is, and when Abbie and I checked it out from our local library a couple of months ago, I think we ultimately had to pay six dollars in late fees because we just didn’t want to give it up. Eventually we did because I was able to convince her that we needed to read the next in the series, Knuffle Bunny Too. Willems followed it up the original with an older, school bound Trixie, who “accidentally”swaps her precious bunny with another student’s Knuffle Bunny. Dad once again comes to the rescue by arranging a meeting with the father of Sonia, the other student, in the middle of the night. This one ends again with Knuffle Bunny reuniting with Trixie, but through this whole process, Trixie and Sonia become best friends. Like the first, it’s a sweet, relatable tale, and like the first, we took our sweet time returning it to the library. However, Trixie’s story wasn’t done, and we checked out the third book as soon as we returned the second.
Knuffle Bunny Free is honestly something I wasn’t ready for. While we were playing in the library, I leafed through the book to see what Trixie and her bunny were up to now, and just getting a glimpse of the final pages caused me to fight back a tear. I knew where this story was going, and by now, I stated to think that these books are a little more autobiographical than I originally thought. Knuffle Bunny Free picks up a few years later where Trixie and her family are going on a trip to visit her grandparents in Holland. (Reader, Trixie aging over the three books just might be my daughter’s favorite thing. We often say to each other, “Trixie is even older!”) By now, you can guess what happens. Knuffle Bunny is left on the plane, and Trixie can’t enjoy anything until he’s back. However, this time, Dad isn’t able to save the day, and Knuffle Bunny is lost. Trixie eventually finds solace in the idea that Knuffle Bunny is traveling around the world helping other kids, causing her to start enjoying the rest of her trip. She’s truly getting older, and the story starts to end as the family returns home via plane. But, Reader, wouldn’t you know that as Trixie is sitting in her seat, she finds her Knuffle Bunny in the compartment right in front of her! She and her parents are very happy, but the little baby behind them is anything but. He’s having a hard time on the plane. After going through all of this, Trixie is finally ready to give up her doll. She turns around and to everyone’s surprise asks the baby’s mother if her child wants her beloved Knuffle Bunny. The torch is passed, and Knuffle Bunny’s new owner continually writes letters to Trixie about what the new duo are up to.
Reader, the similarities between ending of this and Toy Story 3 (read here for more on that) were already getting me choked up. But where Willems got me in literal tears was in the book’s epilogue. He writes:
“A note to Trixie: Trixie, I hope to watch you grow up, fall in love, start a family, and be happy. And I hope that one day, many years from now, you will receive a package… …from an old pen pal. Love, Daddy.”
As the breath in my lungs transformed into these words, I couldn’t hold back from crying. I mean, how could I not? Abbie inevitably looked up at me and asked, “Daddy, why are you crying?” All I could do was smile and through broken gasps reply, “I’ll tell you later.”
Reader, if you have a child, and especially a daughter, I challenge you to read through this and not at least tear up. Heck, I’m starting to again just reflecting on it now. Because eventually both my children will get older, and I, too, want exactly what Willems is expressing through Trixie’s daddy’s post script.
But I’ve still got a lot of time left and a lot of appreciating in the moment to do.
Oh, Reader, that reminds me. I have to go turn my garage door into a shrine of a bus-driving pigeon.
Thanks for reading.