In the beginning of this book, a bus driver tells you (the reader) that he has to leave for a little while, and asks you
to “watch things” for him until he returns. Then he gives you one warning before leaving: DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS!
Of course, as soon as the driver’s back is turned a sneaky little pigeon peeks out from the side of the page and says, “I thought he’d never leave.” So now you must deal with a very persistent pigeon that will do and say anything to convince you to let him drive the bus. Whatever you do, don’t give in!
The minimal, almost childlike pictures by
Willems are deceptively simple. Some pages have nothing in the background at all. It’s just you and that pesky pigeon that keeps begging you to let him drive. But the extremes that the pigeon is willing to go through are so funny, you'll want to give in to the bird…almost. Children can relate to the humor (not to mention the begging). Looking for a great interactive book to read to a group of kids? Try this one. They’ll beg to hear it again and again (kind of like that pigeon!).
Not only did
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! win a Caldecott Award, it made it to the New York Times Bestseller list. The now infamous pigeon has appeared in other books, including:
The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!
Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!
The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!
The Pigeon Loves Things That Go!
The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too! About the Author / Illustrator: The talented Mo Willems has written Emmy Award-winning scripts for the long-running children’s television series Sesame Street, performed stand-up comedy in New York City, and created two animated TV series for Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, among other things. His book
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale (which I reviewed for this website) and
Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity were both awarded a Caldecott Honor. You can find more books about the pigeon on his website at
www.mowillems.com .