I read my three year old daughter a bedtime story every other night (and my partner does the honors the remaining nights). We buy her books often but one of her favorites at the moment is a hand me down book from her older sister. I was not surprised by how much she took to this book as it had been well loved by her sister for quite a few years and it is a book I still enjoyed reading after all this time. The book I am talking about is called "Don't let the Pigeon drive the bus!" it is illustrated and written by Mo Willems. Not only has Mo Willems created the childrens show "Sheep in the big city" but he was also a writer and animator for Sesame street, for which he he won five Emmy Awards. Pretty impressive. "Don't let the Pigeon Drive the bus" was Willems first novel and it was awarded the Caldecott Honor.

The cover of the book is very simplistic. The background is a light brown colour and there is a large speech bubble with the title written inside. There is also a picture of "The Pigeon" looking very mischievous.

At the beginning of the book we meet the bus driver who informs the reader that he has to pop out for a while and asks if they could look after the bus until he gets back, but under no circumstances must they let the Pigeon drive the bus and with that he leaves. Cue the Pigeon who tries to get the reader to let him have a go of the bus in a variety and comical different ways. He fibs, he boasts, he tricks  and he even throws a temper tantrum. The Pigeon tries to convince the reader that he knows how to drive a bus because he has a cousin who drives one everyday or that he will be your best friend if you let him. Of course the reader says "No" to all the Pigeons demands until finally the bus driver returns.

The animation of this book is just like the books cover, the pages are simple and mostly just contain drawings of the Pigeon along with the text which is written in speech bubbles. This is a really unique book which quickly draws in the reader. The style of the book makes it interactive, my daughter certainly enjoys shouting "No" to the Pigeons various requests and refuses to let him drive the bus. It is a very funny comical book. I think this is a great book that will be well loved by young children and their parents, highly recommended.

Our copy of this book is quite a few years old now and has been well read in this time. However, it is still in fantastic condition. The pages are made from high quality paper and have not ripped or torn. The cover and spine have also remained strong and intact. I have found the book to be durable and long lasting which I always find important with childrens books.

The copy I have is a hardback, which I picked it up from a discount book shop so long ago that I have no idea how much it cost. The RRP on the back of the book is £9.99. It can currently be bought from Amazon for £4.43 (free super saver delivery is available).