One of my son’s favorite books as a child was Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, by Mo Willems. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh! was a big seller this season, so I bought it and made my sixteen- and twenty-year-old kids sit on the floor while I read it to them. Sure, it wasn’t quite the same, but we all reviewed the book similarly afterward. It has all the charm and humor of the original. It has the same bright, splashy illustrations. There were even some twists and surprises, which we weren’t expecting since we understand the pigeon’s game by this point. And the pale blue with the bright red? A combination that I love and is very pleasant here.

If you are not familiar with The Pigeon books (Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!, The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!, The Pigeon Loves Things That Go!, Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!, The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!, The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?, The Pigeon Needs a Bath!, The Pigeon HAS to Go To School!, and Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh!), then let me explain. The illustrations could be called rudimentary, but they are bright and bold and simple and I (and my son) really enjoy them. It’s kinda like a kid drew them, but really not. The colors are flat, by which I mean unshaded, bright and artistically combined. And the pigeon, well, he’s kinda the bad guy, as in he’s misbehaving, and your child has to talk him out of doing the wrong thing (or yell it; it’s fun). Which would be driving the bus. Or the sleigh. You, as the read-aloud-er, are the pigeon’s voice. They are conscience. It’s cute. It’s fun for kids.

Willems is also the author and illustrator of Knuffle Bunny and the Elephant & Piggie series, all charming and beloved books, many of them award-winners. His website is HERE.

If your kids already like the pigeon and his sassy antics, then this is another book they’ll like, especially for the season. (I keep our Christmas books in the bins with the decorations so that they get pulled out and put on display for December.) Or if they haven’t met the pigeon yet, this is a great, interactive, fun picture book to read to little ones in between the other Christmas classics. Especially if they like to talk back to and giggle at their protagonist.