Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!, The - Dark Publications

Location: Home » vampire: masquerade » General » Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!, The

Similar Items:

•	Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
•	Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!
•	The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!
•	The Pigeon Wants a Puppy
•	The Pigeon Loves Things That Go!

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

Product Description
When Pigeon finds a delicious hot dog, he can hardly wait to shove the entire thing in his beak. But . . . then a very sly and hungry duckling enters the scene and wants a bite. Who will be the more clever bird? In this hilarious follow-up to the acclaimed Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Mo Willems has created another avian adventure that encourages children to share even their most prized processed foods.

Customer Reviews: Read 72 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

4 1/2 To Have and Have Not February 25, 2005
29 out of 32 found this review helpful

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 naivete 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.

5 out of 5 stars

Mr. Willems, you've done it again! August 17, 2004
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

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.

5 out of 5 stars

HOT DOG THIS BOOK IS DE-LICIOUS! July 13, 2004
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

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.

5 out of 5 stars

Must have book November 16, 2004
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I read the reviews for this book before purchasing this and "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" and although the reviews were what sealed my purchase decision, I was skeptical that toddlers really would react in the way some of the reviewers wrote. Other reviewers spoke of their child wanting to read the book every night, knowing the words, etc. I have to say that they are totally true!!!! We just started the bedtime reading ritual now that our 2 year old will sit in bed and listen to a story, and every night without fail she says, "Hot Dog - Bus!" In other words, she has to have both of those stories read EVERY NIGHT!!! She yells out the words, has memorized most of the content in about two months, and is overly joyous when we pull the books out at bedtime. My only wish is that Mo Willems write more, and fast!!!! Parents will truly enjoy these books too, after 2 months of reading them every night they are not even getting old for me! These are both must haves in your child's book collection. Thank you Mr. Willems!!

5 out of 5 stars

What luck! July 17, 2004
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Poor Pigeon. He has the good fortune of finding a hotdog. It's just sitting there. So what's the problem? (Special guest star) Little Duckling won't give Pigeon a moment's peace to eat the hotdog. "Does it taste like chicken?" Duckling asks. The discussion escalates until it is finally resolved with a happy ending and a fairly understated lesson. Mo Willems' lively pastel colored drawings are simple but still expressive. A thoroughly enjoyable, excellent book. Karen Woodworth-Roman

Powered by Associate-O-Matic