Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! is a children's picture book

Picture book

A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. The images in picture books use a range of media such as oil paints, acrylics, watercolor and pencil.Two of the earliest books with something like the format picture books still retain now...

 by Mo Willems

Mo Willems

Mo Willems is an American writer, animator, and children's books author/illustrator.-Early life:Willems was raised in New Orleans, where he graduated from Trinity Episcopal School and the Isidore Newman School. He graduated cum laude from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He married...

. Released by Hyperion Press in 2003, it was Willems' first book for children, and received the Caldecott Honor. The plot is about a bus driver who has to leave so he asks the reader to watch the Pigeon. The pigeon tries many excuses and tries to finagle readers into letting him drive the bus. An animated adaptation of the book won the 2010 Andrew Carnegie Medal

Carnegie Medal

The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...

 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)

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, Elephant and Piggie

Elephant and Piggie

Elephant and Piggie is a book series for early readers by Mo Willems. The series, which debuted in 2007 with two books, is done in a comic book style, and features two friends: an elephant, Gerald, and a pig, Piggie. The books are written in conversational style with Piggie's words appearing in...

, and Cat the Cat

Cat the Cat

Cat the Cat is a book series for very early readers by award-winning children's author and illustrator Mo Willems. The series debuted in February 2010 with the publication of two books, with additional books slated to follow soon thereafter....

book series.

Reception

In addition to the Caldecott Honor, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! was an American Library Association Notable Book, a National Council for Teachers of English Notable Book, and a Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book. The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! is a Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...

Best Book of the Year. Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! is a Parenting Magazine 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 of the standard-format Pigeon books have been on the New York Times best-seller list.