Book Review of Doodling 101: A Silly Symposium
The Children’s Book Review

Written and Illustrated by Mo Willems

Ages 5-8 | 144 Pages

Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children | ISBN-13: 978-1368075015

What to expect: Doodling, Activities, Good Fun

Everybody likes Mo Willems – and what’s not to like? The Pigeon, Elephant and Piggy, Knuffle Bunny … are all canonical figures in children’s literature, right up there in the pantheon with the wild things and green eggs. Our kids will be reading their kids these books.

It’s a lot of fun seeing Willems’s familiar characters, drawings, and colors turned into an excellent, engaging activity book. I like, too, the emphasis on the word doodling (though the book has much more than that) because it has an inviting, anyone-can-do-it feel that helps welcome kids into the world of its varied activities.

Whether learning how to draw the pigeon in great step-by-step instructions or making flip animations, children will have a great time opening this book up on the dining room table and working away at the worlds it opens up to them. Willems and Sosebee’s combined illustrations and book design create a great, big canvas for kids to roam around on, moving from one creative adventure to the next.

It’s hard to imagine a book in the Willems canon needs much promotion. Still, here it goes: Whether your kids know the Willems books or not, this is an excellent activity book that uses humor and an inviting approach to get kids creating; and if they are already fans of the characters who populate the book—elephants, piggies, and poodle doodles—Doodling 101: A Silly Symposium will only amplify their enjoyment.

Doodling 101: A Silly Symposium is an excellent, fun, and engaging book to give to kids, opening up many, many hours of fun and creativity.

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About the Author

Mo Willems is an American writer, animator, voice actor, and children’s book author. His work includes creating the animated television series Sheep in the Big City for Cartoon Network, working on Sesame Street and The Off-Beats, and creating the popular children’s book series Elephant and Piggie.

Doodling 101: A Silly Symposium by Mo Willems was reviewed by Trevor Laurence Jockims. Discover more books like Doodling 101: A Silly Symposium by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with activity books, drawing, and art.