Fiction Fridays: Pigeon Books
If you have said the phrase “No Pigeon, you really can’t drive the bus” before, then you already know all about the pigeon books (I hope…). If not, then you are in for a treat! Mo Willems strikes again in these fun, interactive books. He has such a knack for capturing the funny little hiccups of childhood (like the stuffed animal attachment in Knuffle Bunny), and it comes out so clearly in all of her Pigeon books.
Instead of tackling a childhood attachment or monumental first step, Willems uses his Pigeon books to embrace every child’s repetitive tic of constant begging. Whether it be their sweet, pouty lip begging (“Please NayNay!! I give you lots of kisses!!”), or their out of control, enraged begging (“Let me have a pancake NOW!!”), kids can be relentless. Willems uses his now iconic pigeon to embody this begging, giving the kids a taste of their own medicine.
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus is the first book in this series, and is the one that started them all. The book opens with a bus driver asking the reader (aka your child) to not let the pigeon drive the bus while he is away. The bus driver can be seen walking away on the next page, just in time for the pigeon to poke his head in. And from here the begging begins (along with the wallowing, bribery, and deceit). Be prepared to watch your child become a pushover, as they just won’t be able to say no to this wide-eyed pigeon. Just remind them of the bus driver, and how they have to say no even if they don’t want to. Conveniently, just like how you have to say no sometimes even if you don’t want to (cough cough suggested lesson cough cough)
Since publishing this first book, Willems has published many follow up Pigeon books, all of which are similarly fashioned and keep the kids giggling while they try to resist whatever silly thing the pigeon wants to do next. My personal favorite is when Pigeon wants a puppy, but it may just be because I love puppies :) But I definitely don’t love pigeons, so you can rest assured that my endorsement of this book has no bias! Now go and tell that pigeon No!
