The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!

by Mo Willems

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

If finders are keepers, then pigeon is in luck, but it's not that easy when a cute baby duck enters the picture. This silly and sassy deliberation is pure feathery hijinks.

Mo Willems, #1 New York Times best-selling creator and three-time Caldecott Honoree, presents a delicious Pigeon adventure.

When Pigeon finds a delicious hot dog, he can hardly wait to shove the entire thing in his beak. But . . . then a very sly and hungry duckling enters the scene and wants a bite. Who will be the more clever bird?
 
Say “no!” to all the Pigeon books!

• Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
• Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!
• The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!
• The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?
• The Pigeon HAS to Go to School!
• The Pigeon Will Ride the Rollercoaster!
• Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh!

For Mo’ amazing books, check out these other great series:

• Knuffle Bunny
• Elephant & Piggie
• Unlimited Squirrels

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786818693
Publisher:	Disney Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/01/2004
Series:	Mo Willems's Pigeon Series
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD410L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Mo Willems, a number one New York Times best-selling author and illustrator, has been awarded three Caldecott Honors for his picture books, two Theodor Seuss Geisel Medals, and five Geisel Honors for his celebrated Elephant & Piggie series. He lives in Massachusetts with his family. Learn more at pigeonpresents.com.

Mo Willems, a number one New York Times best-selling author and illustrator, has been awarded three Caldecott Honors for his picture books, two Theodor Seuss Geisel Medals, and five Geisel Honors for his celebrated Elephant & Piggie series. He lives in Massachusetts with his family. Learn more at pigeonpresents.com.

Editorial Reviews

I suspect that The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! suffers just a bit by comparison to its predecessor. It features the same great, sassy dialogue, the same satisfyingly clean drawing style, even the same hilarious freakout page where the pigeon just can't take it anymore. These pleasures are substantial, and should not be discounted just because the first book was even better.—Claire Dederer

The New York Times

In Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, the hero was subordinate to an unseen person who withheld bus-driving permission; here he has the dominant role and must placate his own pesky interloper, as he bargains with a duckling over a discarded hot dog. The tale, conveyed in the same pleasing emotive dialogue and gestures, opens with the pigeon's thrilled discovery of the title snack: "Oooooh! A hot dog!/ Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!" Suddenly, a smaller yellow bird enters from the lower right corner and asks, in rounded lower-case letters, "Is that a `hot dog'?" "Not a hot dog; my hot dog," the pigeon sniffs, but his reply gives the duckling a rhetorical advantage. "What do they taste like?" it wonders aloud. The pigeon knows the duckling's disingenuous game, but his suspicious, hooded eyes and frowning beak suggest uncertainty. The trickster, meanwhile, regards the pigeon through flirtatious blue eyes and coyly tilts its teardrop shaped beak. The pigeon glares at the audience ("Can you believe this guy!?!"), shouts "That's it!" in bold two-inch-tall caps and throws an eight-stage temper tantrum before splitting the wiener in half. "Hmmmm, needs mustard," says the duck. Through voice bubbles, body language, and expressive sizes and shapes of type, Willems crafts a comical give-and-take between the characters. He sketches both iconic birds in decisive crayony lines and tints the pages with smooth pastel hues. Readers of all ages won't be able to resist miming the sly conversation in this satisfying sequel. Ages 2-6. (May) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 1-In this second book featuring the star of Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (Hyperion, 2003), the shoe is on the other foot. Once again, the action starts on the title page, with the pigeon's joyous discovery of a hot dog. However, his initial delight is dampened when a small, wide-eyed duckling appears and asks, in a seemingly innocent manner, "Is that a `hot dog'?" The interloper's younger status is conveyed not just through his tinier size, but also through his dialogue, which is presented in smaller, rounder font. Though the duckling never directly asks for a bite, his incessant questioning-"Would you say that it tastes like chicken?"-infuriates the pigeon. Ultimately, the duckling's subtle approach proves successful, and both birds happily share the treat. Children, especially those with younger siblings, will have come up with this obvious solution long before the pigeon does. Willems's deceptively simple cartoon drawings convincingly portray his protagonist's emotional dilemma, from his initial joy to his frustration and struggle over what he wants to do versus what he knows is right.-Robin L. Gibson, formerly at Perry County District Library, New Lexington, OH Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

The determined pigeon of the Caldecott Honor-winning Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (2003) returns in a more subdued performance that will nevertheless appeal to fans of the first. The pigeon is about to eat the hot dog he's found, when a sly, persevering, small yellow duckling "scooty scoot scoots" up with a series of questions and comments. Willems again expertly captures the personality and emotions of the droll pigeon ("not a hot dog; my hot dog") and the "guest star" duckling, who manages to trick the pigeon into giving him what he wants, taking notes about the taste of a hot dog. "Each morsel is a joy! A celebration in a bun!" says Pigeon. "Does it taste like chicken?" asks the winsome duck. Another tantrum ensues, but the hot dog is split and shared. Duckling tops off his triumph with a complaint that gives him the final word, "Hmm . . . needs mustard." Some readers may feel this tale could also use a bit more mustard, but children who already love the pigeon will be satisfied. (Picture book. 2-8)

Kirkus Reviews

Mo Willems appears once again as an over-the-top pigeon. This time he’s apoplectic with glee over discovering AN ENTIRE HOT DOG! Just as he’s about to dig in, he’s interrupted by a duckling, played expertly by Willems’s daughter, Trixie. The duckling innocently asks what a hot dog tastes like. The resulting exchange between the dramatic pigeon and the cucumber-cool duckling is hilarious. Trixie’s voice—childlike yet sophisticated—provides a restrained and charming foil for Willems’s larger-than-life, all caps-and-exclamation-points pigeon. As the pigeon moves from praising the glory of hot dogs to possessive gluttony to a resolution of his greedy anxiety, a fun musical score accents the drama and serves as a delightful backdrop to the fun. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2010 - AudioFile