Your mission, fellow readers, should you choose to accept it, is as follows: don't, I repeat, don't let the pigeon drive the bus. Oh, I know, it seems like a simple mission as these things go. Most pigeons like to fly after all, and most of them aren't very talkative anyway. But be warned, this is no ordinary pigeon! This unusual bird possesses all the guile and determination of a toddler angling to get a cookie before dinner.
The formula of this book will quickly become familiar to any reader or listener: the pigeon wants to drive the bus, he NEEDS to drive the bus, and he's DRIVEN to drive the bus!! And nasty hobbitses want to keep him from the precious bus . . . oops, wrong story. ^_^ But, you get the picture. Your job, and your audience's job, is to say "No!" every time and for every ploy. No matter what that pigeon says or does, you can't give him an inch. Cuz you know he'll drive a mile! Kids especially know this routine by heart. After all, they're usually in the pigeon's shoes, thwarted time and time again from getting their momentary heart's desire. This allows them to try out the other role, to see what it's like to be the authority, to set the boundaries and delightfully shout "No!" every time. They aren't fooled for one minute by this pigeon.
I'd really hesitate to call this book a storybook. Because this book really isn't one in the traditional sense. The audience does not sit quietly and wait to see what happens next. They make it happen. Without audience response, this book is only half a story. All of our crafty pigeons comments are directed outward, to the audience. He knows the reader is there and is ready to bargain with him and wear him down with his dreams of bus driving. Likewise, the pictures are simple, unadorned and angular. These are not misty and gorgeous pictorial masterpieces like Mary Grandpre might draw. But another illustrator's work would not have fit the book and created the delightfully subversive book that this has turned out to be. Like some of the best comic strips, our characters don't have to be realistic or elegant to get their point across and display a wide range of emotion and reactions. The books convey that information readily and simply, without anything to clutter or distract the reader from those actions. This is not art that is dressed up to the nines. This is art that gets down to work: casual, direct and very effective at what it does. Taken out of context, the pictures may be uninspiring and seem crude. In context, they make the story come to life and jump off the page.
This is a modern tale and a modern classic. Particularly appropriate for kids in urban settings who may have never seen a barnyard or a cow, but sure as heck know what a pigeon and a bus is! There's no fancy prose or cutesy sweetness here, instead we find wry intelligence and a subtle charm that hits home with its target audience. If you have preschoolers I suggest you check this book out, despite your reservations. Probably best for a preschool to kindergarten age group, since kids much older than this will be looking for more complex reads and longer stories.
If you like this, there are more books in store in the Pigeon series, but this one-to my mind-is the best. You might also want to check out CLICK, CLACK, MOO. COWS THAT TYPE by Doreen Cronin, or if your child is a bit older, perhaps THE STINKY CHEESE MAN AND OTHER FAIRLY STUPID TALES by John Scieszka. It's definitely worth a try with a child, and great for a whole group of kids. Give it a read, let your children give it a listen . . .but don't, and I repeat, DON'T let the pigeon drive the bus!
Happy reading! Shanshad ^_^
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I love the Pigeon serious and my son enjoys story time with this book. It’s a cute, humorous story.
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