Author: Mo Willems
Title: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
Illustrator: Mo Willems
Readability score: Pre-K to Grade 2
Genre: Fiction
Subgenre: Fantasy
Theme: Being told "No," is not always a bad thing.
Primary and secondary characters: Bus driver, Pigeon, audience
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book
Date of Publication: 2003
Publishing Company: Scholastic, Inc.
ISBN number: 0-439-70180-5
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! is a simple picture book. The pigeon looks to the bus, but the bus driver has given strict orders. The pigeon is not to drive the bus. At first, the pigeon takes a sweet and innocent stance. He promises to be careful. He can just steer. He tries every way possible to get the "reader" to let him drive. Then, he goes crazy. He screams. He rages. His eyes turn red. Then, the bus driver comes back and the pigeon leaves. He is disheartened until he finds a truck that he wants to drive and he starts dreaming again.
This book would be appropriate to read to a group of Kindergarten students. Children at this age are still in their egocentric, pre-operational cognitive development stage. Therefore, they think that they should always get what they want. The students should be able to relate the pigeon. After reading the story aloud, I would ask the students if they have ever wanted something and tried to get it. Most of the students will say yes. I will ask them to share their own experiences. This is an important lesson in teaching students about text-to-self comprehension. The story also teaches students about how sometimes we can't always get what we want because some things are not safe to do (such as letting a pigeon drive a bus).
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! is a simple picture book. The pigeon looks to the bus, but the bus driver has given strict orders. The pigeon is not to drive the bus. At first, the pigeon takes a sweet and innocent stance. He promises to be careful. He can just steer. He tries every way possible to get the "reader" to let him drive. Then, he goes crazy. He screams. He rages. His eyes turn red. Then, the bus driver comes back and the pigeon leaves. He is disheartened until he finds a truck that he wants to drive and he starts dreaming again.
This book would be appropriate to read to a group of Kindergarten students. Children at this age are still in their egocentric, pre-operational cognitive development stage. Therefore, they think that they should always get what they want. The students should be able to relate the pigeon. After reading the story aloud, I would ask the students if they have ever wanted something and tried to get it. Most of the students will say yes. I will ask them to share their own experiences. This is an important lesson in teaching students about text-to-self comprehension. The story also teaches students about how sometimes we can't always get what we want because some things are not safe to do (such as letting a pigeon drive a bus).
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