Common Sense Media Review
By Ashley Moulton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Fun live special will delight fans of Mo Willems' books.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Mo Willems & the Storytime All-Stars Presents
What's the Story?
In MO WILLEMS AND THE STORYTIME ALL-STARS PRESENT: DON'T LET THE PIGEON DO STORYTIME, beloved children's book author-illustrator Mo Willems hosts a live performance of his stories at the Kennedy Center. The variety show features readings of several of his most popular books, songs based off the stories, and Willems doing live demonstrations of storytelling and drawing. Kids can enjoy dramatic performances of Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Knuffle Bunny, Waiting Is Not Easy, and more. The readings are performed by a star-studded cast, including Anthony Anderson (black-ish), Yvette Nicole Brown (Community), and Rachel Dratch (Saturday Night Live). And of course, the Pigeon does his best to steal the spotlight, in typical Pigeon fashion.
Is It Any Good?
Fans of Mo Willems will love this special, which is kind of like a little-kid version of the stand-up specials usually found on HBO Max's home network, HBO. The celebrity guest stars are fantastic and really amp up the silliness of the already entertaining books. Fred Newman lends his considerable vocal sound effect talents to the readings, and extra animations visible only to home viewers make the performances even more fun.
Kids who like Willems' books will like this special, though its slow-ish pacing may make it too long for some kids to watch all the way through in one sitting. Kids will like seeing the crowd shots of other kids reacting to the on-stage antics (parents may be less enthusiastic of the airtime the Willems character stuffed animals get alongside the kids). Overall, this live storytime special is great for families to watch together.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Mo Willems says in Don't Let the Pigeon Do Storytime that everyone's an author and illustrator. Do you agree? What if you're still learning and your drawings don't feel "good" yet?
Can you invent a story by starting with something that's part true, like Mo? Let's write it down! Then let's draw the pictures to go with it.
TV Details
- Premiere date : September 17, 2020
- Cast : Rachel Dratch , Fred Newman , Mo Willems , Yvette Nicole Brown , Anthony Anderson , Cameron Esposito , Tony Hale , Thomas Lennon , Natalie Morales , Oscar Nunez
- Network : Max
- Genre : Variety Show
- Topics : Book Characters
- TV rating :
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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