Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! By Mo Willems

Willems, M. (2003). Don't let the pigeon drive the bus! New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 0-7868-1988-X

Plot Summary:

Funny story where the driver of the bus has to leave for a little while and asks the reader/audience to watch the bus for him. Mischievous

Pigeon uses different tactics, from begging, pleading, whining, and even bribery, to try to convince the reader/audience to allow him to drive the bus.  

The reader is does a good job of keeping Pigeon away from the bus as the bus driver returns. Pigeon feels defeated, until he sees a big red truck.

What will he want to do next?

Analysis:

Mo Willems does a great job of breaking the barriers of traditional children's’ books by allowing the reader/listener to be part of the book.  

Students love being part of this book, Pigeon is talking TO them & they talk to Pigeon too. Students of all ages laugh and roar when this book is

used as a read aloud.  Willems has illustrated the conversation between the reader/audience with simple pictures of the pencil drawn and softly

colored pigeon and the use of speech bubbles with a muted background.  Though the pigeon may be simply drawn, Willems shows the many emotions

with Pigeons body language.

Pigeon is relatable to students as they may have used some, or all, of Pigeon’s tactics in the past in order to persuade someone to get or do something.

I like that the way this book was written, the reader does not allow Pigeon to drive the bus. It can be used as a way to teach children that no matter the tactic, not all persuasive statements are successful.

Review Excerpts:

School Library Journal #3 of the Top 100 Books for Children to Read list (2012)

Caldecott Medal 2004

School Library Journal  “In a plain palette, with childishly elemental line drawings, Willems has captured the essence of

unreasonableness in the very young. The genius of this book is that the very young will actually recognize themselves in it.”

Connections:

*Great way to introduce students to speech bubbles and how to use them in their own stories.

*This could be an example of a mentor text that a teacher could use to teach persuasive writing or persuasive statements.

*A mentor text that can be used to demonstrate to students how to “hook” their audience and keep them captivated in their story.