Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Hardcover – Picture Book, 1 May 2003

I have had this (along with "The Pigeon Wants a Puppy" and "Don't Let The Pigeon Stay Up Late!") for quite a few months and even me - 28 years old at the time of typing - finds it amusing. Admittedly, there are some changes in wording from the US original that I was first made aware of (over on YouTube, being read out aloud by a then two year old girl - surely the definition of cute!) such as "five bucks" becoming "a fiver" which is understandable. Although I would have kept the line "It's the middle of the day in China!" instead of the UK edition's "It's the middle of the day in Alaska!", just because a child may be more familiar with countries than specific states of America. Whilst there is some equivalence in terms of sound - it does occur to me that it is possibly a nod to being roughly the correct equivalent time, time zone wise, at bedtime for a child in the UK). It should also be pointed out that I experienced the original US edition first, which more than likely plays a part - you know, "the first version you see is the best" syndrome and all that...But anyway, I did buy this originally for me! I'm 28 and I get a kick out of it, especially putting on "the pigeon voice" whilst reading it aloud with children and even my girlfriend has found great delight in reading the Pigeon books (I'm keeping an eye on them so they don't "mysteriously disappear"!). Little children, as others have found, love to get involved and feel as if the Pigeon is talking with them - especially telling the Pigeon he can't do something makes them giggle all the more!So yes, despite my minor quibble, "Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus!" is well worth the five stars and, provided it doesn't get ripped to shreds, will provide a great deal of laughter for all involved!

This is not a book that you can read quietly to your chld at night - it demands interaction from both reader and recipient and once the child has got the gist of what they need to do it is really good fun!Would certainly recommend it to those who maybe are a bit shy of reading in front of their children as a great way to engage (great for Dad's!)My 3 yr old loves it and once my 1 yr old is off his Thomas obsession I'm sure he will too.The illustrations are fabulous, maybe a bit too subtle in some cases for my 3 yr old to get the entire gammet of emotions that pigeon expresses... makes it good for re-reading adults.You need to really get into the book to get the most out of it, so it can be demanding in that it's not one you can read on auto-pilot. Will have to get some more Mo Williams!

My 6 year old God-son read this through 4 times in as many hours. He really enjoyed reading it aloud to his whole family. A perfect book for a new reader.

I bought this book for my daughters on the strength of reviews. When I received it and flicked through myself, I didn't quite see what all the fuss was about. But immediately that I read it to my daughters, they were in hysterics. A story of a cheeky little pigeon that is desperately trying to convince you to let him drive the bus, while the bus driver has stepped away for a minute. There is a degree of audience participation required as the pigeon is talking to 'you'.... he's often met with a loud 'NO' in response in this house.Would highly recommend for big hearty laughs and calls of 'Again' at the end of the story.

I think this is quite possibly my favourite children’s picture book of all time!The style of the bus driver and pigeon talking directly to the reader is quite unlike anything else I have read to my class as a teacher - and now parent.I think some people just don’t get the brilliance because it’s a different kind of thing but they’re missing out because it’s hilarious! 😀

My 5 year old loves this book, it's very simple in terms of content... It's kind of a half-conversation book, in the sense that he says things and you have to respond (usually with just 'no', but the more you read it, the more you realise it's prompting you to say things like 'Because you're a pigeon!' or 'your dreams shouldn't include driving a bus!' and so on. It did become a little confusing when my son read the word " 'bout' " instead of 'about' and the font is also a little strange to read ("bus" looks like "jous", etc). But regardless of that, it's a fun way to spend 5 minutes and it certainly pleases it's target audience, but it's not a book they can read on their own if they want the two-way interaction to work properly.

I wouldn't have chosen this if I hadn't read about it in Early Years Educator as a book that helps children learn to say no in difficult circumstances. My 4 and 2 year old grandchildren love it, they join in with "No" and we have talked about sticking saying No is important even when it's difficult.

I like this book and my not quite two year old seems to love the pigeon (is now pointing out pigeons when we see them). However she may love the pigeon too much - she really really wants to let him drive the bus, which means the story currently doesn't make much sense for her. Or she may just like saying 'yes'.