Design Elements Review- Book 1

[Britty]

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems is a short, entertaining picture-book about a pigeon who continuously asks the reader whether or not he can drive the bus. The reader is given a plethora of reasons as to why the bird should be allowed to drive, however, the bus driver has given the audience the specific instructions to not let this happen.
As the audience begins to read the book, the first thing they may notice is the artwork- the book is primarily pictures. The lines of not only the pictures, but the text as well, are light and faded. The artist also frequently draws the main character, the pigeon, with horizontal lines which may signify an effort of appeal. Horizontal lines are peaceful and calming- the author might be using this feature to then create a sense of trustworthiness between the reader and the pigeon. The shapes used in the book have primarily angular edges and since there is a fair amount of action in the book, this is fitting. The main difference in this occurs throughout the speech-bubbles: some of which are rounded, while others have angular edges. These correlate well with the portion of the story and give the reader a second affirmation of the tone being displayed in the pigeon's dialogue; the more enthusiastic or upset the pigeon is, the more angular his speech-bubbles become. The colors of the pages are primarily neutral, creating a sense of calm. This, too changes depending on the level of excitement in the story. In addition, the pigeon himself is a light blue, signifying a calm or again trustworthy individual. There is little shading or saturation in the pictures and most depicts what would be a shadow. Texture is also not found in the pictures, it is possible that the author did not want a sense of reality to clash with the very unrealistic events in the story.
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus looks like it might have been drawn in a soft pencil of some sort, perhaps crayon or chalk. In addition, the style of the illustrations is cartoon. There are exaggerated depictions of the pigeon, along with plenty of emotion and action.
Personally, I believe this book leaves more to be desired. I can, however, see the draw for children who want to interact with the book- it is a fun book and offers an easy escape for children who want to "say 'no.'"