In a speech punctuated with his signature wit and humor, Mo Willems spoke about everything from his start in sketch comedy, writing for Sesame Street and leaving his busy career behind for a year.

On April 29, Children’s author Mo Willems was invited by Mel Yoken of The Boivin Center for French Language and Culture to discuss his year-long sabbatical in Paris and his work as a successful writer and artist.

The first slide show image that accompanied Willems’ speech was a drawing of a pigeon smashing his head on his art desk. He said it illustrated why he needed to take a break from his job to spend a year away in France.

“This is a self portrait of me before I went,” said Willems.

Willems worked for nine years as a writer and animator on Sesame Street, winning six Emmy Awards for his writing on the show. He’s also created cartoon shows for Nickelodeon (“The Off-Beats”) and Cartoon Network (“Sheep in the Big City”). In 2003, he began a writing career, creating popular stories featuring a wide array of talking animals.

While his time in Paris with his wife and daughter involved careful preparation, he felt it was a needed escape from the rigors of being a children’s book author.

“It is not easy writing kid’s books. It takes a lot of time and takes a lot of effort,” said Willems, adding that the job involves a high amount of travel and business.

Initially his wife requested that he not work for an entire year, which Willems said he negotiated down to six months. He spent the bulk of his time reconnecting with art and sketching daily.

His sketches in Paris began as caricatures of the people around him, but slowly shifted into more accurate representations. He became enamored with the ornamented, abstract architecture of the city, causing him to draw buildings — a subject he admitted he normally dislikes.

“Being in France was a lot like being in kindergarten,” said Willems. “Everyday there was something new and exciting and then you needed to take a nap because you were really tired.”

His sabbatical resulted in his first chapter book, “The Story of Diva and Flea,” a story about a small dog who has never been outside befriending a streetwise alley cat named Flea. The book, which hits shelves later this year, is a collaboration between Willems and Tony DiTerlizzi.

The characters are based on real animals found around Willems’ Paris apartment.

“No matter how far you go, the story is often at your doorstep,” said Willems.

Mel Yoken, professor emeritus of French at UMD, first came in contact with Willems two years ago at the BookExpo America event in New York City.

“There are 30,000 people who attend, and who’s the most important, prestigious author who had the most lines? Everybody was lining up because everybody was reading his books — adults, old people and young people,” said Yoken.

“He has a joie de vivre — the joy of living,” he added.

Amelia Riveire, 6, of Newport, said she enjoys Willems’ books because of his sense of humor and his cast of talking animals. When asked if she would be interested in writing a children’s book herself one day, she said she’s already started one.

“It’s called ‘When the Goats Went Crazy,’” said Riveire.

Willems imparted some advice to his young audience throughout his speech, often highlighting the rewards of taking chances in your career.

“When faced with almost certain failure, do something boldly stupid,” said Willems. “This is the mantra of every working artist. This is what my career has been, boldly doing dumb stuff because, otherwise, nothing would work out.”