Draw the Pigeon
From Kennedy Center: Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems · 2020
20 minPre-KK1st2ndReading & Writing (ELA)
Summary
Mo Willems opens his studio for Episode 1 and walks viewers step-by-step through drawing the Pigeon from Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! He shares early sketches and his creative process, reminding kids under the spring 2020 shutdown: "You might be isolated, but you're not alone. You are an art maker."
Viewer safety
All ages
Common Sense Media — not yet ratedIMDb Parents Guide — not yet rated
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
- What shapes did Mo use to start drawing the Pigeon? Where do you see circles, triangles, or ovals?
- Mo says drawing is a way to express how you feel. What feeling would YOU draw if you made a Pigeon picture right now?
- Every artist has their own style. How did your Pigeon look different from a classmate's -- and is that okay?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: illustrator, character, sketch, expression.
Try it: Draw your own Pigeon. Then give your Pigeon a feeling (happy? grumpy? excited?) and change one thing about the drawing to show it.