The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!

The pigeon is back! And he's so excited to find a hot dog. As he prepares himself to dig in, the duckling shows up. He's never had a hot dog and begins to ask all kinds of questions, but the pigeon's not falling for that trick! Or is he?
I absolutely love this book. The illustrations have so much personality and the way the text is represented tells as much as the pictures do. I also think the book is hysterically funny. The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog is a great book for read-alouds or as an independent read for early readers. It can open up a great dialogue about problem solving, friendship, and sharing.

Following up on his initial Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, in which the eponymous pullastrine hero tried to wheedle his way into the driver's seat, Mo Willems here has his pigeon interacting with a persistent and very clever duckling. Having found a delicious hot dog, Pigeon is intent on eating it, and immensely frustrated at the continual questioning of Duckling, which prevents him from doing so. There is a method to The Duckling's madness, of course, and the two birds end up sharing the hot dog...

Like its predecessor, The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! combines a pitch-perfect tale of toddler hi-jinks with immensely appealing cartoon-style illustrations that match and accentuate the humor of the text. The exchanges between Pigeon and show more Duckling, the hilarious back-and-forth, Pigeon's increasingly hysterical claims of ownership over the hot dog, all ring true as a snapshot of how younger children often interact. Also like its predecessor, this an incredibly well-designed book, with excellent page layout, intelligent use of subtly colored paper throughout, and text and art that work seamlessly together. Recommended to anyone who has enjoyed others of the pigeon books, or who is looking for good selections for toddlers and younger children. show less

I love all the Pigeon books by Mo Willems. My favorite part about them is the Pigeon. He has such a strong, slightly eccentric way of approaching different situations. He knows what he wants, and in this case he wants to keep his hot dog. He thinks the Ducking is trying to take it from him and he will have none of it! The Duckling keeps asking questions about the hot dog and the Pigeon finally yells, "THAT'S IT!" and goes on a funny rant: "It's MY hot dog, right!? MINE, MINE, MINE! This is UNBELIEVABLE! 'Finders, keepers,' is what I say!" The Duckling finally comes up with the idea that they should split the hot dog in half, and the Pigeon tells him he's a smart duck, so the plot is something else I like about the book. The situation show more seems like an insignificant thing, but it actually teaches a valuable lesson about sharing. This leads into the big idea, which is taking the time to hear someone's ideas can actually lead to good things in the end and, in this case, the Duckling and the Pigeon become friends and share the hot dog. show less

Guess what? Mo Willems’s Caldecott Honor winning Pigeon’s back and he’s found a hot dog! When Pigeon finds a discarded hot dog and is just about to eat this wonderful “taste sensation” in a bun, our feathered hero is rudely interrupted by an equally precocious little duckling who scooty, scoot, scoots onto the scene and irritates Pigeon by innocently asking him, “Is that a hot dog”? To which the annoyed and suspicious Pigeon replies, “Not a hot dog; my hot dog”. This is all we need to see that the duckling is horning in on the Pigeon’s territory and he wants nothing to do with this little upstart. Many children will be able to relate to Pigeon’s dilemma as to whether he wants to share or not with this new arrival, show more as often happens with the arrival of a new sibling. However, in the end the not quite so innocent duckling gets what he wants; half of Pigeon’s “taste sensation” in a bun and his friendship too. Willems witty repartee between Pigeon and The Duckling takes center stage and is hilarious. show less

This is my favorite of the pigeon series. From the “scooty scoot scoot” of the duckling’s entrance he is deceptively innocent interviewing the pigeon and inquiring about the hot dog. Pigeon’s protestations are loud and riotous, and lead him to the only thing he can do – share. It is a wonderfully truthful expression of the emotions involved in possession, longing, and friendship.

The reason I love this book so much is because it forced me to be fun and exaggerate my voice while I was reading the book aloud to my students. It forces the reader to make different voices in their heads, and to to up and down with their voice. It's a fun book in general and the students had a really fun time with it. In fact, they beg me to read the pigeon books every day.

The reason I like this one in particular, though is because it teaches the students about sharing. They can really relate to it because they've all gone through those instant (and natural) moments of "hey that's mine, and I'm not sharing." And, like the pigeon in he story, they realize that it makes more sense to go ahead and share because it makes everyone happy.

After a hiatus from the Pigeon books, I went back to read this one--"Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog." This was by far my favorite of the Pigeon books--Pigeon finds a hot dog, but just as he's about to eat it, Duckling comes along, asking pesky questions about hot dogs and angling for a bite. The dialogue between Pigeon and Duckling makes for an entertaining story. The previous Pigeon books used more of a monologue--the Pigeon was addresses himself to the reader and there's no other character. But with Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog, there's Duckling! I enjoyed their banter and the way that the two interact. Willems illustrations continue to delight: Pigeon mocks Duckling, which is my favorite image/text section. And in the end, they both get to enjoy show more the "splendor of a hot dog." It was enough to turn a vegetarian back on to Ballpark Franks. Recommended for purchase for public or school libraries. show less