The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog (Mo Willems, Hyperion Books for Children, 2004)

I am thankful to my daughter’s grade 2 English teacher for several things, one being that he brought Mo Willems’ Pigeon into our lives. From what I can tell from Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (Hyperion, 2003) and this book, Pigeon has some anger management issues. But then again, maybe that curious little duckling asking me if my hot dog tastes like chicken would drive me bananas  as well. The dialogue between Pigeon and Duckling is well executed but I think that Willems’ even superior talent is how he conveys so much emotion in the mannerisms and facial expressions of the two characters. If hearing your children (and yourself) giggle brings you as much joy as it does me, this picture book will surely become a family favourite.