Read all of Slate’s stories about the 25 Greatest Picture Books of the Past 25 Years .

Mo Willems has thought a lot about what kind of work picture books should do. He’s fond of saying that his job is to create 49 percent of the story and let children fill in the other 51 percent from their own imaginations. Willems’ run of prize-winning bestsellers suggests he’s on to something: From his 2003 debut, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! —a shoo-in for Slate’s 25 Best Picture Books of the Past 25 Years—Willems has made books that break the rules of children’s lit, that delight young and old readers equally, and that make kids think about what a book even is . Willems came to picture books from TV animation and, two decades later, still sounds grateful he made the switch. All

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