Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!, The (Hardcover)

by Mo Willems (Author, Illustrator) "Oooooh! A hot dog!..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Sesame Street veteran and Emmy Award-winner Mo Willems returns with a fast, funny follow-up to Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!--only this time, the short-tempered pigeon faces his perfect foil in a "special guest star" duckling. In the previous Pigeon book, author and illustrator Willems expertly distilled the escalating emotions of preschoolers all too anxious to get their way. The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog--also a simple and sparsely illustrated story--explores the flip side of that coin, exposing the poker-face persuasive powers of young negotiators. The pigeon just wants to greedily eat the hot dog that he's found: "Oooooh! A hot dog! Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!" Then along comes the duckling, "scooty scoot scoot!" with his insistent questions about hot dogs: "What do they taste like?...Would you say that it tastes like chicken?...Hey, I'm a curious bird." At first, the pigeon entertains the duckling, "Each morsel is a joy! A celebration in a bun!", but then he soon suspects the little bird might have designs on his delicious dog. In the end, of course, the clever duckling gets his way--and half of the hot dog: "You know, you're pretty smart for a duckling." (Ages Baby to Preschool) --Paul Hughes

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 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 © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (April 19, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786818697
• ISBN-13: 978-0786818693
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,418 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Books > Children's Books > Animals > Ducks & Other Waterfowl
  #5 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( W ) > Willems, Mo
  #7 in	Books > Children's Books > Animals > Birds > Fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2 To Have and Have Not, February 24, 2005

By	M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

A pigeon about to joyously eat a hot dog is constantly interrupted by a young duck who manages to upset his meal plans. The duckling--all big-eyed charm and flirtation-repeatedly insinuates himself into the situation with "innocent" comments and questions just when the pigeon is about to take the first bite:

"I've never had a hot dog before...
What do they taste like?"

The pigeon enthusiastically describes the exquisite nature of hot dogs, but then draws back, suspicious of the duckling's true motives, and feeling trapped by his own gusto. Then, just when he's about to eat that hot dog again, the duck asks, "Would you say it tastes like chicken?"

The baffled, frustrated pigeon looks out from the page and addresses the audience directly: "Can you believe this guy?" Finally, overcome by the duck's seeming innocence but persistent curiosity, he goes completely wild, yelling, pacing, trying to persuade himself that the hot dog is his too eat, but aware that his "guest" will not leave him alone. The two birds finally do share the hot dog, although the duckling belies his supposed naiveté with his final comment: "Hmmm...needs mustard."

Although very simple, the story has its roots in the classic comedy routines of vaudeville and early television. I can picture "Ralph Kramden" (in the pigeon role, of course) and "Ed Norton" in a similar setup. A more recent example of this patter is in the movie "Diner," when the Paul Reiser character asks without really asking for a ride home, some left-over food, etc. "Just ask the question!" shouts an exasperated Daniel Stern.

Mo Willems reinforces the simplicity of this routine through his amateur-on-purpose drawings of the two birds and the solid color backgrounds. Aside from his beak, the pigeon's head is merely two concentric circles, a large dot, a line, and some shading. As another reviewer noted, the kid-scrawl drawing is in the spirit of "Spongebob Squarepants" and primitive illustrations.

Ultimately, this book is best read aloud to very young children. Willems could have added some interesting geometric background shapes, or deepened the characterizations, but he kept it fairly plain and linear. It's up to the reader's dramatic abilities to pull out all the humor inherent in the conflict between owner and would-be owner. Willem's teasing dialogue and portrayal of the unwinding pigeon give adults plenty of comic material to work with.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mr. Willems, you've done it again!, August 16, 2004

By	N. A. Lininger "Mz. L" (WV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As an elementary school librarian, every year I try to have an ice-breaker story for the children on their first visit to the library, especially the kindergarten students. Last year my first-day read aloud was "Don't let the pigeon drive the bus". It shocked their socks off to see the librarian stomping her feet and yelling "Let me drive the bus!" Some students requested I read it every week all year. Thank you for providing another "pigeon story" for me to start this year. Although the "hotdog" story doesn't provide opportunity for interaction that the "bus" did, it provides me the chance to stomp and yell "It just tastes like a hot dog, okay!?" Then later in the school year, when my real personality comes through, they won't be frightened. They will see me as the pigeon. The first grade students who watched my pigeon antics last year will be expecting me to top last year's performance. They will love "The pigeon finds a hotdog". I do. Please keep the pigeon stories coming.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HOT DOG THIS BOOK IS DE-LICIOUS!, July 12, 2004

By A Customer

I was shopping today for my nephew's birthday. I already had picked out an armload of children's picture books when I spotted The Pigeon Finds A Hot Dog. Not only did I laugh hysterically out loud in the middle of the regularly quiet bookstore, but I was also very impressed with the story dialogue and the simple, but unique style of illustration. At any rate, I put all the other books back on the shelves, and rushed to the counter to purchase the book. Now, I'm debating going back and buying a few more copies, one for my collection and a couple more for some friends. I highly recommend adding this to your library.