As the spring season unfolds, a host of established children's book characters will be reprising their roles in companion books and sequels. PW spoke with authors and editors about their spring releases to learn more about the returning characters and why they have been brought back to life.

The Pigeon Rides Again

The pigeon from Mo Willems's Caldecott Honor book Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (Hyperion) is a character the artist has been doodling for years. "He's alive to me," the artist said. "And it finally got to the point where the pigeon pestered me into making this book."

Even before Willems's first book starring the pigeon appeared on bookstore shelves in April 2003, the staff at Hyperion fell for Willems and the opinionated bird and quickly signed the artist up for a second book. According to executive editor Alessandra Balzer, "The in-house reaction to the character was great. Kids love it and parents love it. Everyone has such a strong reaction to him."

Williams said that for his second picture book,The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! (May), "I didn't want to rehash the idea of the first book and I wanted to try and get a better sense of his world. I created a sibling character for the pigeon. I like that he meets someone who's like himself."

Willems chalks up the pigeon's appeal to the fact that "he is honest in a way that we wish we could be. Even as children we're blocked down and we're not allowed to do so many things. Pigeon can't accept that. I think he's pure, distilled inner self in bird form."

Balzer said the company has "lots of fabulous ideas" for promoting this new title. "There will be some baseball promotions, we're bringing Mo to BEA, we'll be doing some stunts, and we're looking into creating a pigeon costume."

As for whether readers will be seeing more of the irrepressible pigeon, Balzer said, "Mo has some great ideas that he's come up with and I'm sure there will be another pigeon book." Willems agreed, but stated, "I really don't want to repeat myself. For sequels, the question you have to ask yourself is 'How do you take this character you know and create a new scenario?' I want to see the character grow."

Lowry Comes Full Circle

Since its publication back in 1993, fans of Lois Lowry's Newbery-winning The Giver have been clamoring to find out what happened to Jonas, the main character who is chosen to learn the truth about his society. In 2000, the author provided a look at what may have happened, in the companion book Gathering Blue. Now, in April, Houghton Mifflin will be releasing Messenger, in which readers will be given another glimpse into the futuristic world of Jonas, as well as Kira from Gathering Blue.

"When I wrote The Giver, I knew the ending was ambiguous, but to me it was satisfying," said Lowry. "I thought readers would bring their own imagination to it and they would have to sort out the ending for themselves. But although it worked for some readers, many, many more were troubled by the ending." The number of letters the author received increased in number over the years, most of them asking for some kind of closure.

In 2000, Lowry wrote the companion Gathering Blue, in which she looks into another strictly controlled world. This third novel, a companion to both previous titles, is set seven years after GatheringBlue, with Matt, a character from that novel, now an adolescent. "His world in Messenger includes Jonas, now an adult, and Kira, also grown," said Lowry. "But the focus is entirely Matty: his growing awareness of his desperate struggle to save the people who have nurtured him and taught him what love is."

When asked if she would write another novel about these same characters, Lowry confirmed that she wouldn't. "I feel as if Messenger has rounded off the circle, and created a trilogy that needs no further pursuit. Readers should be satisfied by the ending, I think, and I have no plans to write further about these characters."

A Gas of a Sequel

For Glenn Murray, coauthor of the bestselling picture book Walter the Farting Dog by William Kotzwinkle, illustrated by Audrey Colman (Frog/North Atlantic), writing the Walter books has been, well, a gas. "The first one just erupted," he said. "It came out of a conversation we [the two authors] had over dinner one time. Then we ended up writing the story."

That was in the winter of 1990—1991. It took 10 years for the authors to find a publisher, but Murray said he feels it was worth the wait. As an educator, the author knows the importance of getting books into the hands of reluctant readers, especially boys. With the publication of the first Walter book, he said, "There are little guys out there who will want to read this. I want to hook the attention of early readers." With over 300,000 copies sold, Walter seems to be making his way into plenty of hands.

Next month, a new Walter adventure, Walter the Farting Dog: Trouble at the Yard Sale will be released by Dutton, which bought the sequel from Jennifer Carlson at Dunow & Carlson last year. In this picture book, Walter is sold at a yard sale to a man who wants to use the dog's "talent" for evil purposes.

Stephanie Lurie, president and publisher of Dutton Children's Books, said she thinks the idea of a sequel works in this case because "the authors aren't repeating the same joke over and over. Also, the theme is universal in that Walter is misunderstood and kids can identify with him."

Penguin will be publishing 150,000 copies of Trouble at the Yard Sale, and has come up with a variety of promotions to get the word out, including a floor display with a sound chip (that furnishes the sound that the pooch is famous for, as well as the mother's response: "Walter!"), and a pre-publication kit for booksellers containing toilet paper and room deodorizer.

Murray will be doing some bookstore and school readings as well, which are close to his heart. "Some kids have never seen a man read a book," he said. "Little guys want to be like the males they see, so if they see them reading, hopefully it will inspire them to pick up a book as well."

A Return to the Woods

Fans of Gary Paulsen's Brian books (Hatchet, The River, Brian's Winter and Brian's Return) have reason to head back to the bookstore, as Random House just released the latest title in the series, Brian's Hunt, in January. Paulsen, who had stated years ago (after The River) that he wouldn't write another Brian book, said that he decided to continue Brian's story because his fans demanded more. "I get staggering amounts of mail," he said, "between 200 and 400 letters a day. The young people want the book so much."

In the new book, Brian finds a wounded dog in the woods and sets out to learn what happened to him, all the while hunting and being hunted by a bear. According to Paulsen's editor, Wendy Lamb, who heads up her own imprint at Random House Children's Books, Brian also develops "interest in a girl, so it's a new emotional landscape." Paulsen said that with Brian now being 16 and the wilderness continuing to provide new challenges for him, "I can go deeper into what makes Brian a person. He is equal with this animal that he's hunting and I get to bring the woods up with him."

Paulsen just finished touring for the new book in mid-February, where fans in nine cities came out in droves. "The biggest event was where I signed between 2,000 and 4,000 books—820 of which were Brian's Hunt." Lamb called the tour "hugely successful" and attended an event in Pennsylvania. "It was wonderful to see him with the kids," she said. "The lines to see Gary are so long and there are all these tired-looking parents with their kids who are wired."

When asked about writing another Brian book, Paulsen said, "I don't say 'never' any more. I would like to take the mature Brian and the mature woods to another level. There are so many mysteries that happen in the bush that I would like to go into. Plus there's the girl. He's very interested in the girl."

Under a Spell

Molly Moon, the orphan-cum-Broadway star who made her debut last spring in Georgia Byng's novel Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism, will be making a second appearance this April, when HarperCollins releases Molly Moon Stops the World.

In this sequel, Molly tries to stop American billionaire Primo Cell, who, according to editorial director Alix Reid, "has his hand in every single advertising agency and corporate conglomerate and plans to take over the world with his super hypnotism powers." Molly Moon does her best to stop him and along the way finds that she is able to tap into a deeper layer of hypnotism where she can freeze time.

According to Reid, the Molly Moon titles were originally signed on as a two-book deal, so she always knew readers would get to see more of the successful character. "Molly is so likeable," Reid commented. "She's not attractive; she has spammy legs. She's prickly and doesn't feel like she has any friends and makes mistakes, yet comes through in the end. Plus I think the whole hypnosis thing is a childhood fantasy."

A third Molly Moon book is in the works as well. In that one, Molly heads to India to uncover the person who is behind the billionaire. "It involves his ability to make multiple Molly Moons," said Reid.

HarperCollins is literally rolling out the red carpet to promote the second novel. "We are doing a display that will include the paperback of the first book and the hardcover of the second," said Reid. "The display, which reads 'Welcome to Mollywood,' will have a red carpet leading up to it." The author, who lives in England, will head to the States next month for a five-city tour, after a launch party in Los Angeles.

Taking the Lead

Two-time Newbery Medal winner E.L. Konigsburg has given a new voice to a minor character she wrote about years ago, one who wouldn't leave her mind. Margaret Rose Kane, Connor Kane's half-sister from the 2000 title Silent to the Bone, is now the lead character and narrator for The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place (Atheneum).

"She refused to leave me when I finished Silent to the Bone," said Konigsburg of her reasoning for revisiting the Margaret character. "But then, I refused to leave her, too. I kept thinking about Margaret saying to Connor that she remembered coming home from summer camp when she was 12 and knew that they were never again going to be the same kind of family they had been." The author also recalled Margaret telling Connor that " kids who grow up in a university develop smart mouths before their brains can catch up."

Konigsburg realized, "It was [Margaret's] smart mouth that got her into trouble. But I knew that there had to be something more to make her miserable. There had been an assault on her integrity—something that came close to destroying her." And those events are what Konigsburg began to explore.

The companion book, released in February, tells the story of Margaret's 12th summer, where she is taunted by cabin-mates at camp. Margaret herself needs rescuing by her uncles, but she comes to learn that her uncles also need her help.

When asked if she thought readers would remember Margaret from her role in a previous novel, Konigsburg said, "Some readers already have recognized her, and they have told me that doing so has prompted them to re-read Silent to the Bone."

The author isn't sure if any other characters of hers will make appearances in future books. "One of the joys of writing is the unexpected," she said.