Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

Product Information

Questions for Philosophical Discussion » Summary A pigeon’s bus-driving aspirations help us to explore the responsibility to keep promises, persuasion, and the value of punishment.

What a lesson for kids. Peer pressure. Bad attitudes. Silliness. Safety. Keeping quiet. All the things to show why it's good not to 'give in' to someone just because they try to get you to do something. Horowitz, A.; Shea, A. (December 30, 2011). "Story Time, Debunked". New York Times . Retrieved December 31, 2011. Let’s have some fun along with the Pigeon and expand DOK along the way! This lesson will lead your primary GATE students through four challenging activities, culminating in an artistic response showing why they “never get to do anything!” either. If the bus driver had left without telling us not to let the pigeon drive the bus, would it be okay for us to let him drive?

Original questions and guidelines for philosophical discussion by Teddy Willard and Soren Schlassa. Edited June 2020 by The Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics. Mo Willems, #1 New York Times best-selling creator and three-time Caldecott Honoree, presents the 20th anniversary edition of the book that started it all: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, now featuring an exclusive board game! At the beginning of the book, a bus driver comes by and tells the audience that he has to leave to do something, but before he leaves, he warns the audience, “DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS!” After the bus driver leaves, the pigeon comes by and starts asking the audience if he could drive the bus. In Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, a bus driver begins the story by expressing to readers the importance of not letting the pigeon drive the bus while he is gone. However, the persuasive pigeon spends the entirety of the book trying to talk us into letting him drive the bus.

After my daughter and I worked our way through the entire epic Elephant & Piggie saga, we've decided to move on to Mo Willems other big series: The Pigeon. The first in this series is a tale we can all relate to; a tale of greed, ambition, hopes, dreams and wanting to drive a bus. After reading any (or all!) of the Pigeon books by Mo Willems, you will tell your students that Pigeon cannot be left at school alone at night because he gets into trouble when he isn’t supervised. He needs to have a babysitter and you were wondering if they could help! If we do let the pigeon drive the bus, are we (the people who let him drive) to blame? Would the pigeon be to blame? Why or why not?

Teaching Ideas and Resources:

Can you name a time when you saw someone or a group of people do something mean? Did you blame them? Why or why not?