Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (1990)

by Mo Willems, N/a

Series: The Pigeon (1)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
9,287	501	807	(4.37)	84
Juvenile Fiction. Picture Book Fiction. HTML: 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.

all members

▾Members

Recently added by

filemanager, NoraLarabeeLibrary, ArvadaCO611, McDrawz-Library, raxitpatel, HaleyKerstetter, matermultorum, NorthStarAcademyMQT

▾Tags

▾LibraryThing Recommendations

▾Member recommendations

32
No, David! by David Shannon (cmbohn)
00
Stanley the Builder by William Bee (PeachtreePublishers)
00
Stanley's Garage by William Bee (PeachtreePublishers)

▾Lists

Best children's picture books (21)

Favorite Animal Fiction (56)

Caldecott Honor Books (17)

» 8 more

Top-Rated Children's Books (29)

1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up (262)

2000s (the decade, not the century) (14)

Puffin Books 70th anniversary handbook recommendations (31)

Storytime (3)

75 Books for Literacy Block: Fall 2016 (5)

Books Read in 2023 (4,513)

UNLV 2017 - Ladd's Class (1)

▾Will you like it?

▾Conversations (About links)

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 84 mentions

▾Member reviews

English (498) Spanish (1) All languages (499)

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 498 (next | show all)

This story allows children to enjoy a laugh and funny story about a persistent pigeon. This text introduces students to the idea of wise decision making in a fun and entertaining way. (

)

cieraj25 | Oct 14, 2023 |

This book is about a pigeon who will do anything to convince the reader to let him ride the bus, even though he was strictly told not to. This book does not have very many words, but the illustrations are engaging.

haileycinq | Sep 14, 2023 |

If you haven't met Mo Willems, prepare yourself for great fun. (

)

rebwaring | Aug 14, 2023 |

This is a great book for young children. It is interactive and fun. The pigeon is trying so hard to drive the bus but ends up failing. The book Don’t let the Pigeon Drive the Bus has won a Caldecott Honor, is an American Library Association Notable Book, a National Council of Teachers of English Notable Book, a Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book, and a South Carolina Picture Book Award winner. In 2012, this book was selected as one of the "Top 100 Picture Books" of all time by the School Library Journal. This book was published in 2003, it was Mo Willems first book for children. (

)

BrennaMarohl | Jul 1, 2023 |

Independent Reading Level: 1st/2nd Grade
Awards: ALA Notable Book, Booklist Best Book of the Year, Caldecott Honor Book, Child Magazine Best Book of the Year, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Timerra | Apr 29, 2023 |

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 498 (next | show all)

▾Published reviews

no reviews | add a review

▾Other authors

» Add other authors (12 possible)

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Mo Willems	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
N/a	—	main author	all editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Series

The Pigeon (1)

Is contained in

It's a Busload of Pigeon Books! by Mo Willems

Pigeon Pack (4 Book Set) (The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!; Don't Let Pigeon the Stay Up Late!; The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!; Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!) by Mo Willems

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and More Stories by Mo Willems

Pigeon Pack (5 Book Set) (The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?; The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!; Don't Let Pigeon the Stay Up Late!; The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!; Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!) by Mo Willems

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! | The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! by Mo Willems

Has the adaptation

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (Scholastic Storybook Treasures) by Scholastic Video Collection

Mo Willems Pigeon and Pals: Complete Cartoon Collection Volumes 1 & 2 by Mo Willems

Is parodied in

Don't Let the Penguin Drive the Batmobile by Jacob Lambert

Don't Let The Pigeon Question The Rules!: A Parody by Nathan J. Robinson

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

3 Apples Book Award (Winner – Young Readers – 2010)

BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (2003)

BILBY Awards (early readers – 2015)

Buckaroo Book Award (Winner – 2005)

Caldecott Medal (Honor Book – 2004)

CLEL Bell Picture Book Award for Early Literacy (Silver Bells – Talk – 2013)

Flicker Tale Award (Winner – 2005)

Georgia Children's Book Award (Winner – Picturebook – 2008)

Georgia Children's Book Award (Nominee – Picturebook – 2007)

Golden Archer Award (Winner – Primary – 2005)

Indies Choice Book Award (Picture Book Hall of Fame – 2009)

Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Winner – Grades K-2 – 2005)

Red Clover Book Award (Winner – 2005)

South Carolina Book Awards (Nominee – Picture Book Award – 2005-2006)

Test Award (Cats)

Test Award (Bowker Test)

Notable Lists

1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up (2009.0158, 2009, Ages 3↑)

ALA Notable Children's Book (2004)

Capitol Choices Noteworthy Book for Children and Teens (2004)

CCBC Choices (2004)

NCTE/CLA Notable Children's Book in the English Language Arts (2004)

view history

▾Common Knowledge

You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.

For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.

Canonical title

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

Original title

Alternative titles

Do not let the pigeon drive the bus!

Original publication date

1990

People/Characters

The Pigeon (1)

The Bus Driver

Important places

Important events

Related movies

Awards and honors

ALA Notable Children's Book (2004)

South Carolina Picture Book Award Nominee (2005-2006)

Caldecott Honor (2004)

BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (2003)

1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up (2009.0158 | 2009, Ages 3↑)

(show all 17 items)

Epigraph

Dedication

For Cheryl

First words

Hi! I'm the bus driver.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

English

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

▾Book descriptions

Juvenile Fiction. Picture Book Fiction. HTML:

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.

▾Library descriptions

No library descriptions found.

▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

The pigeon dreams of driving a bus, but the bus driver enlists the reader to keep the pigeon out of the driver’s seat. The book progresses as the pigeon wheedles and readers get to say, “No!” – putting the children in the driver’s seat themselves. Other books include Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! (a bedtime book that gets loud in the middle and gradually quieter/darker) and The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog (not as good, IMO, dealing with sharing when a duckling wants the pigeon’s coveted hot dog). These books address issues of power and necessity at a preschool level, as well as being hilariously written and engagingly illustrated in a comic-book style.

Haiku summary