New Mo Willems ‘Pigeon’ book to be released in September

NEW YORK (AP) — An imprint launched last week by Barnes & Noble Inc. has signed up one of the country’s top children’s author-illustrators, Mo Willems, best known for his “Pigeon” picture books.

Willems has a five-book deal with Union Square Kids, including for “The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster!”, scheduled to come out Sept 6. Willems’ previous works include the beloved bestseller “Don’t Let the Pigeon Ride the Bus!”, “The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!” and “Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!” His seven previous Pigeon books have sold more than 6 million copies and have been adapted for television and the stage.

“I am excited to embark on new publishing experiments while working with a team I’ve known and trusted for over a decade,” Willems said in a statement Thursday. “The goal is to surprise and delight without losing sight of a fundamental truth: The Pigeon is not going to get to drive that bus.”

Union Square Kids is an imprint of the newly formed Union Square & Co., part of Barnes & Noble’s Sterling Publishing, which the superstore chain acquired in 2003.