Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

All Ages

Birth - 12 months

by Mo Willems

When a bus driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer springs up to take his place-a pigeon But you've never met one like this before. As he pleads, wheedles, and begs his way through the book, children will love being able to answer back and decide his fate. In his hilarious picture book debut, popular cartoonist Mo Willems perfectly captures a preschooler's temper tantrum.

Age: 2 Year-olds | Title: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! | Author: Mo Willems | Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children

Why we chose this book

This hilarious encounter with a pigeon may very well make you laugh harder than your little one. Speaking directly to the reader, the pigeon's extra large personality commands the focus of the book and will inevitably have you smiling. With few words and a straight-forward plot, the pigeon's speech is what charms audiences. Your child can easily relate to the pigeon's wishes, frustrations, and tactics to try and get what he wants. The usual staples of a children's book, bright multi-colored pages with some detail, are not included - or needed - in this case. The short sentences also encourage your little one to quickly memorize the text, or even try reading along with your help.

Silly voices and strong tone inflections are highly encouraged as you emphasize the pigeon's pleading and eventual temper tantrum. The more you get into it, the more your child will enjoy it. They may even start joining in on the sound effects -"VROOM VROOM!" - or the frantic climax, "LET ME DRIVE THE BUS!" Don't be surprised if your child brings this book to you over and over to read and bond through giggles.

The first time my husband Nate read this story to our four-year-old niece she giggled the entire time, thoroughly entertained by his pigeon impression. She immediately wanted to impersonate the pigeon's temper tantrum, putting her own theatrics into the scene, which only caused my husband and I to start laughing all over again. It was a wonderful family bonding experience, and remains one of our favorite books to this day.

--Audra

What our readers are saying

I have read the Pigeon stories a lot, working at an elementary school before being a stay at home mommy. I love them! They are so funny! So simple! And so cute! This was a great choice for us! As soon as we got it I opened it up and started reading it to Baby Girl. She waved bye-bye to the bus driver. She said "hi!" to the Pigeon. As I read she laughed and really paid attention to the story. It was too cute to watch! Later, her and Daddy J read it together so fun to watch her read now, she is starting to get into the story and she loves books!

--Courtney Joyner, The Joy of Mama Joyner