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Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (Hardcover)
by Mo Willems
| Category:
Bedtime, Award-winning Books, Ages 0-3, Children's book |
| Market price: ¥ 148.00
MSL price:
¥ 138.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
This is a really fun, silly book - perfect for reading aloud! A great, fun, short bedtime story that will have your kids laughing with you! |
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Author: Mo Willems
Publisher: Hyperion Press
Pub. in: April, 2003
ISBN: 078681988X
Pages: 36
Measurements: 9.1 x 9.4 x 0.3 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BC00023
Other information:
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Rate this product:
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- Awards & Credential -
A winner of 2003 Caldecott Honor |
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- MSL Picks -
A brilliantly simple book that is absolutely true to life, as anyone who interacts with an obdurate three-year-old can attest. The bus driver has to leave for a while, and he makes one request of readers: "Don't let the pigeon drive the bus." It's the height of common sense, but the driver clearly knows this determined pigeon and readers do not-yet. "Hey, can I drive the bus?" asks the bird, at first all sweet reason, and then, having clearly been told no by readers, he begins his ever-escalating, increasingly silly bargaining. "I tell you what: I'll just steer," and "I never get to do anything," then "No fair! I bet your mom would let me." In a wonderfully expressive spread, the pigeon finally loses it, and, feathers flying and eyeballs popping, screams "LET ME DRIVE THE BUS!!!" in huge, scratchy, black-and-yellow capital letters. The driver returns, and the pigeon leaves in a funk-until he spies a huge tractor trailer, and dares to dream again. Like David Shannon's No, David (Scholastic, 1998), Pigeon is an unflinching and hilarious look at a child's potential for mischief. 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.
Target readers:
Kids aged below 8
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- Better with -
Better with
No, David!
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Mo Willems is a six-time Emmy Award–winning writer and former animator for Sesame Street, and the creator of Cartoon Network's Sheep in the Big City. Both his first book for children, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, and his fourth book Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale won prestigious Caldecott Honors from the American Library Association. The New York Times has called him "the biggest new talent to emerge thus far in the 00's". Mo lives with his family in Brooklyn, New York.
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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.
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E. R. Bird (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-21 00:00>
Because this book won a 2003 Caldecott Honor, you're probably going to hear a lot of people complaining about it. "Oh the art isn't beautiful". "Oh my four-year-old child could've drawn it". "Oh it isn't Caldecott-worthy" (whatever that may mean). The fact of the matter is, I was a little shocked too. This book won a Caldecott honor? The one where an amusing pigeon tries every bit of persuasion he can think of to wheedle himself into the driving seat of a bus? Now I've loved this book since it was first published. When I first read it I laughed out loud.
Quick! Recite the children's books you love that make you laugh out loud! Not so easy to think of, are they? So I've returned to this little treasure in the hopes of discovering why that Caldecott nominating committee loved this book as much as my pretty self. Could it have been the artwork? Deceptively simple is the best way to describe its style. The pigeon isn't exactly a Michaelangelo. He's drawn with thick black lines, shaded in with blue and yellow. But has a Michaelangelo ever really amused you? Look a little closer at this pigeon and you realize the book's genius. His oversized eyeballs exquisitely display every emotion possible. From sweet and innocent to consumed with an all-encompassing rage. The pages wherein the pigeon completely freaks out and screams at the top of his lungs, "Let me drive the bus!!!" is the temper tantrum of a two-year-old rendered into an aviary form.
But do kids like this book? Well, ladies and gentlemen, the answer is yes. In fact, clever readers let the kids hearing this tale say, "NO!" every time the pigeon tries a new tactic. When the pigeon says, "Please", the kids say no. When the pigeon says, "I tell you what: I'll just steer", the kids say no. When the pigeon says, "Hey, I've got an idea. Let's play `Drive the Bus'. I'll go first", the kids say no. And when Mr. Pigeon collapses in a fury, the kids do not relent. Finally, they have been placed in the position of their parents. They get to tell someone exactly what he cannot do. And they love it.
In the end, it's hilarious. Who can resist this foul when he pulls every trick out of his feathery bag? From, "How `bout I give you five bucks", to a mock-innocent wide-eyed, "I have dreams you know!” In the end, the pigeon goes on to bigger and better dreams (complete with CB radio) and the children reading the story know they've participated in the happy ending. Joy is all around. Is this book deserving of a Caldecott Honor? No ladies and gentlemen. It is deserving of a Caldecott medal. But like the pigeon's, this is just a dream.
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David LaRochelle (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-21 00:00>
Truly a masterpiece! After many readings, this story still makes me laugh out loud. With only a few simple lines and a minimal amount of dialog, Mo Willems has created a memorable character in this convincing pigeon who will do anything to drive a bus.
The local librarian told me that this book was a big hit at story hour, with the children actively telling the pigeon "No! You can't drive the bus!" Maybe I still have the mind set of a preschooler, because I found it just as entertaining, so much so that my best friend gave it to me for my 43rd birthday. In my opinion, it's one of the best children's books of the year.
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-21 00:00>
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus is a 2003 Caldecott Honor book and it is brilliant! The pigeon is memorable because of its huge eyes that emit emotions and personality that flood the page. The emotions go from hopeful to full of rage and everything in between. And although the illustrations are simple, that only adds to its perfection. The dialog is minimal and that adds to its brilliance. It begs children to become interactive with the story. Children will love this book, and it will become a long-time favorite.
A little pigeon does everything possible, through begging, bribing, wheedling, pleading, conniving, rationalizing (you get the picture), to drive the bus. Nothing seems to work; not even the declaration of "I have dreams, you know!" The end is wonderful and so clever. I laughed out loud reading this book, and I can't say many children's books have brought me to that state.
This is a book that will stay on my bookshelf always. It's the perfect thing for all my special little grandchildren. "Hey, I've got an idea. Let's play drive the bus! I'll go first! Says the pigeon. "No!" yell Caroline, Max, Raegan, Lauren, Annika, and Ali. "You can't drive the bus!"
Armchair Interviews says: This is a must read, must have, and will become a favorite!
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Gina Makarski (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-21 00:00>
So many other reviewers have said it before (and much better than) me, but it bears repeating; this book is magnificent. The artwork is a masterpiece of economy; all of the pigeon's emotions as he tries his different tactics are conveyed beautifully and simply, leaving room for the large text. Grandparents need not search for their glasses to read this one! Plus, when they start to read by themselves, children will have little to distract them from the words.
And then there's the fun to be had by reading it. No book has made my three-year-old son collapse into uncontrollable giggles before. Never. But this book is guaranteed to do it with every reading. How much does he love it? Within a day, he had memorized it, and now will "read" it to me so I can tell the pigeon "no." We shout, we get silly, we laugh until our sides hurt, and then we do it again. Can you think of a better way to inspire love of reading in a child?
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