we love Mo Willems around here

Kids LOVE Mo Willems books. I LOVE Mo Willems books! We just love Mo Willems around here, whether it's his Piggie & Elephant series; Knufflebunny trio; or his popular Don't Let the Pigeon... series. Willems just gets it. He gets how to write to kids and really make them laugh. And his books make you, the reader, feel clever, like you're in on the joke too. This week, tired from Dr. Seuss overload, I switched to Mo Willems, doing:
Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct
Knufflebunny
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
with my storytime groups here at the library and during my Headstart visit.

My Headstart kids and I turned our hand prints into Pigeon. Simple art project:
Print a template of a bus (I literally googled, "Bus Template")

• Ask the kids to draw some people in the bus windows
• Ask them to draw the head and neck of the Pigeon peeking out the front (bus driver seat) window. I gave each table copies of the cover of the book so they could look at the real Pigeon while they freestyle drew him. 
• After the bus was colored, the Pigeon head/neck and the people drawn, apply paint to your hand and stamp down on your paper--your hand print is the Pigeon's body!

These kiddos are between 4-5 years old, so some of the pigeons looked hysterical, a few turned out really great, but the point wasn't how good they looked, but rather it was about the process and experience.

This books a modern classic!

Poor, dejected Pigeon!

The Pigeon tries EVERYTHING to get us to say "yes!"

This little guy got it--see the Pigeon's NOT driving the bus!

Holy cats! Her pigeon head is ENORMOUS! I loved this one too!