''Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!'' is a

children's A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person young ...

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...

written and illustrated by

Mo Willems Mo Willems (born February 11, 1968) is an American writer, animator, voice actor, and children's book author. His work includes creating the animated television series ''Sheep in the Big City'' for Cartoon Network, working on ''Sesame Street'' a ...

. Released by

Disney-Hyperion Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW), formerly known as The Disney Publishing Group and Buena Vista Publishing Group, is the publishing subsidiary of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Its imprints inclu ...

in 2003, it was Willems' first book for children, and received the

Caldecott Honor The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...

. The plot is about a bus driver who has to leave so he asks the reader to not allow the Pigeon to drive the bus. The Pigeon wants to have at least one ride and comes up with various excuses to drive the bus but the readers keep on telling him "NO!", which aggravates the Pigeon. An animated adaptation of the book, produced by

Weston Woods Studios Weston Woods Studios (or simply Weston Woods) is a production company that makes audio and short films based on well-known books for children. It was founded in 1953 by Morton Schindel in Weston, Connecticut, and named after the wooded area near ...

, won the 2010 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video.

Sequels

Willems has created further books about the Pigeon's adventures: *'' The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!'' (2004) *'' Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!'' (2006) *'' The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!'' (2008) *'' The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?'' (2012) *''Don't Let the Pigeon Finish this Activity Book!'' (2012) *'' The Pigeon Needs a Bath!'' (2014) *'' The Pigeon HAS to Go to School!'' (2019) * '' The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster!'' (2022)

Board books

*''The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!'' (2005) *''The Pigeon Loves Things That Go!'' (2005) Cameo appearances by the Pigeon can also be found in Willems's ''

Knuffle Bunny ''Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale'' (from Dutch knuffel, pronounced ''k-nuffle'') is a classic children's picture book written and illustrated by Mo Willems. Released by Hyperion Books in 2004, ''Knuffle Bunny'' received the 2005 Caldecott Hon ...

'', '' Elephant and Piggie'', ''

Leonardo, the Terrible Monster ''Leonardo, the Terrible Monster'' is a children's picture book by Mo Willems. An ALA Notable Book, it was released in 2005 by Hyperion Books. In 2007, Weston Woods adapted the book to an animated film, directed by Pete List. Plot Leonardo i ...

'' and '' Cat the Cat'' book series.

Reception

In addition to the Caldecott Honor, ''Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!'' is an

American Library Association Notable Book American Library Association Notable lists are announced each year in January by various divisions within the American Library Association (ALA). There are six lists, part of the larger ALA awards structure. * ''ALA Notable Books for Adults'' (est ...

, a

National Council of Teachers of English The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is a United States professional organization dedicated to "improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education. Since 1911, NCTE has provided a forum ...

Notable Book, a ''

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books ''The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books'' is an academic journal established in 1945 by Frances E. Henne (Graduate Library School, University of Chicago).Wedgeworth, Robert. ''World Encyclopedia of Library and Information Services''. Ch ...

'' Blue Ribbon Book, and a South Carolina Picture Book Award winner Based on a 2007 online poll, the

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stud ...

listed the book as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children." It was selected as one of the "Top 100 Picture Books" of all time in a 2012 poll by ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

''. ''The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!'' is a ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' Best Book of the Year. ''Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!'' is a ''

Parenting Magazine ''Parenting'' was a magazine for families and it was published in United States between 1987 and 2013. Its final headquarters was in Winter Park, Florida. History and profile ''Parenting'' was launched in 1987 by Robin Wolaner in a joint venture ...

'' Best Book. ''The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!'' is the 2009 Children's Choice Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year. Each of the four standard-format Pigeon books has been on the New York Times best-seller list. A 2011 scientific study entitled "Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" examined the ability of pigeons to solve the

traveling salesperson problem The travelling salesman problem (also called the travelling salesperson problem or TSP) asks the following question: "Given a list of cities and the distances between each pair of cities, what is the shortest possible route that visits each cit ...

by taking the shortest route to visit multiple feeders in a laboratory. The authors found that pigeons "appeared to plan ahead multiple steps," which provided "clear and strong evidence that animals other than primates are capable of planning sophisticated travel routes." In April 2023, the 20th anniversary edition of ''Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!'' was released by Hyperion

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.pigeonpresents.com/ American picture books 2003 children's books Children's fiction books Fictional Columbidae Caldecott Honor-winning works Children's books about birds Books by Mo Willems