The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! by Mo Willems

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Willems, Mo. 2004. The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!. Ill. by Mo Willems. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 0786818697

PLOT SUMMARY 


Mo Willems’ beloved pigeon returns in this sequel to Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! This time, the pigeon finds a scrumptious hot dog and is all set to gobble it up when an inquisitive little duckling shows up. The pigeon is immediately suspicious of the duckling, especially when the duckling starts to ask questions, like “Is that a hot dog?” and “What do they taste like?” The pigeon is quick to inform the duckling that it is not “a hot dog” but “my hot dog.” However, the clever little duckling manages to convince the pigeon to share his hot dog and soon the pigeon realizes that he’s been duped by a very clever little duckling. 


CRITICAL ANALYSIS 

In The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!, Mo Willems flawlessly captures the emotions of our favorite pigeon. The pigeon is presented as an impatient and enthusiastic character and Willems use of hyperbole brilliantly conveys these emotions. He uses words like “oooooh!” and “yummy! yummy! yummy!” to describe a delicious hot dog and bold exclamation points further emphasize the pigeon’s enthusiasm. 

Conversely, the little duckling is presented as mild mannered, he remains calm and patient throughout the story despite the pigeon's hysterics. The contrast of the two characters is humorous and encourages children to sympathize with both the pigeon and the little duckling.

Mo Willems’ illustrations immediately grab the readers’ attention. His use of big blocks of pastel color and thick, black lines allow the reader to focus on the characters and their story rather than the background. The use of large, exaggerated text, highlighted in various colors, further emphasizes the pigeon’s excitement and frustration. Willems dedicates multiple pages to large illustrations of the pigeon yelling things like “That’s It!,” which creates both a humorous and dramatic effect. 

Willems also presents a stark contrast between the pigeon and the little duckling. The pigeon is large and imposing and his words dominate the page, while in comparison, the little duckling is small and his dialog is understated. The contrast between the pigeon and the little duckling will resonate with children that have siblings.Willems' illustrations complement the text and make this story an entertaining read, for all ages.

This book provides an opportunity to discuss sharing and what it is like to be a big brother/sister versus being a little brother/sister. Willems’ effortlessly illustrates how a simple compromise can solve a dilemma.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

LIBRARY MEDIA CONNECTION: “This title is a great read aloud”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL STARRED BOOK REVIEW: “Willems' deceptively simple cartoon drawings convincingly portray his protagonist's emotional dilemma…”

AWARDS

Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Books, 2004

SMART Book Award: Nominee, 2009

CONNECTIONS

Discuss sharing and compromising. Ask children if they have a little brother or sister whom they must share with.

Share some of Mo Willems’ other pigeon stories and ask children which is their favorite.

Create pigeon puppets and ask children to act out the story or make up their own pigeon story.

Discuss other possible endings to the story and whether or not the pigeon should have shared his hot dog.

If a SMART board or computer stations are available, allow children to visit www.pigeonpresents.com and play the interactive hot dog dress-up game.