This post is sponsored by Disney Book Group. The content and opinions are mine. If you’re looking for a fun way to celebrate one of the best children’s book characters of all time, then setting up your own hot dog bar and breaking out The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! by Mo Willems is it!
PIGEON-INSPIRED HOT DOG BAR
Recently I shared Because by Mo Willems, a wonderful new book we added to our library as part of our partnership and celebration of Mo Willems. He’s one of my favorite children’s book authors and has been since I discovered him when I was teaching first grade. Introducing my students to Pigeon was always one of my favorite things to do.
When I got the chance to introduce my own children to the Pigeon books, I was thrilled to see them fall in love with one of my favorite characters. If you haven’t read any of the Pigeon books, you’ve got to get one or two and sit down with your kids to read them!
The very first book in the Pigeon series is Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! It’s the book that made me fall in love with the crazy bird. You don’t have to read them in order, but I highly recommend starting with the original!
- Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
- Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!
- The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!
- The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!
- The Pigeon Loves Things That Go!
- The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!
- The Duckling Gets a Cookie?
- The Pigeon Needs a Bath!
- The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! (Available June 2, 2019!)
They even have board book versions of the books to share with the youngest readers too! That’s how I got Carrigan started on the Pigeon books!
HAPPY BIRD-DAY PIGEON HOT DOG PARTY
To celebrate Pigeon’s 16th BIRD-day, we set up a hot dog toppings bar inspired by The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! Carrigan loves hot dogs and thought it was an excellent way to celebrate our favorite literary bird!
This is a fun idea for parties and other get-togethers. With summer coming, you’ll be ready to entertain beyond Pigeon’s celebration! The beautiful thing about hot dog toppings is that you can get as creative as you want or keep it as simple as you want too! I know hot dog condiments are a personal thing, so if you’re having people over to a party, putting them out in a condiment bar set up is an easy way to entertain!
One of the best ways to get kids excited about reading is to help them make connections between the books and their own lives. Planning what to put on hot dogs for our hot dog bar was a fun way to bring to life something that Pigeon says in the book!
“A celebration in a bun!”
It’s also a great way to share a meal together with your friends the way (SPOILER ALERT) Pigeon and Duckling end up doing in the story.
HOT DOG TOPPING IDEAS
There are tons of different hot dog toppings you can include in your hot dog bar! You can stick to the classics like ketchup, mustard, and relish. Or you can get a little crazy. If you’re from Texas, you might be like us and put out the chili dog toppings too!
For our Pigeon-inspired hot dog party, we got a little bit of everything so our whole family could make a hot dog they loved.
Our hot dog bar menu included:
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Pickles (because we forgot to get relish!)
- BBQ Sauce
- Chili Sauce
- Corn chips
- Cheddar Cheese
- Pepper Jack Cheese
- Baked Beans (you have to try it!)
- French Fried Onions
- Bacon Pieces
There really was something for everyone! I loved that there was enough variety to have more than one hot dog and make them each different.
We also bought some regular hot dog buns and some Hawaiian bread hot dog buns for options. I’m in love with the Hawaiian bread ones! They’re really good paired with a hot dog topped with baked beans and french fried onions! So good!
Carrigan is a traditionalist and used ketchup but she was so happy to make her own hot dog like Pigeon has in the book!
CELEBRATE WITH DIFFERENT HOT DOG TOPPINGS & PIGEON
If you’re looking for something fun to do with your kids, planning your own Pigeon-inspired party to celebrate his 16th BIRD-day is so easy to do! You can turn your weekend lunch into a hot dog party and see if anyone needs mustard like Duckling does in the book!
All you need is a copy of The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! and your favorite hot dog toppings! Once you read that book, I think you’ll discover you want them all! They’re perfect for the family library! I don’t think anyone ever gets too old for Pigeon!
You can also pre-order the newest Pigeon book, The Pigeon HAS to Go to School, which will be in stores June 2nd, 2019!
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