Bossy and volatile but undeniably charismatic and side-splittingly funny, Mo Willems’ Pigeon was born to be a star. Since the publication of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! in 2003, the irascible bird has appeared in numerous sequels, inspired a musical and an opera, and headlined a traveling art exhibit. Most importantly, he’s proven irresistible to the preschool set; youngsters clamor for rereads and flock to author signings with the ardor of rock ’n’ roll groupies.
This literary debut hinged on a simple premise: After a bus driver leaves readers in charge of his vehicle, the Pigeon attempts to beg, bargain, and charm his way into taking over the bus; when that doesn’t work, tantrums ensue. Willems, an Emmy-winning writer for Sesame Street, well understood what made kids tick.
“There is no such thing as a good childhood,” he told the Washington Post in 2012. “There is no other time in one’s life, after all, when one must ask permission to use the bathroom and when that permission can be denied.” Willems’ Pigeon taps into youngsters’ desires to have their own way—and gives them the thrilling power of saying no to someone else.
Although Willems endured two years of rejection before the Pigeon found a publisher, stories starring snarky, fourth-wall-breaking protagonists are now a genre unto themselves. And if the Pigeon hasn’t exactly mellowed with age, he’s confronting new challenges with aplomb; his recent outings include Will the Pigeon Graduate? and Be the Bus: The Lost & Profound Wisdom of the Pigeon. The many fans who have grown up with him will be delighted.
Mahnaz Dar is a young readers’ editor.
