Who doesn’t love a good Mo Willems story—especially one in the darling Pigeon series? Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! is yet another hilarious take on Pigeon’s dead-on personification that children are sure to love and relate to.

In it, the author reminds us that it’s very late. He begs the reader to let him brush his teeth and not let the pigeon stay up late. Of course, the pigeon, as usual, has something to say about that! From his protesting of not being tired in the first place to wanting to watch TV, bargaining for additional minutes of wakefulness to denying all of his yawns, his excuses will likely sound like the same ones your own children give each night before bedtime.

Though obviously tired, the pigeon continues his scheming—asking about the reader’s day, declaring it’s time to count the stars, begging for a glass of water, making a deal to go to bed early on another night, and continuing to deny his own yawns. My favorite excuse was that it’s time for a hotdog party, while my daughter’s was that the bunny wants to stay up late, too—and you can’t say no to a cute little bunny.

In the end, of course, pigeon, like many children, wears himself out with his antics and is fast asleep by the time the author returns. Of course, the readers get to glimpse into Pigeon’s sleep that night, which includes a dream of eating dozens of hotdogs with his bunny.

If you know Mo Willems, you already know that the pictures in the story are exceedingly simple yet hilarious, the pigeon alternating between devious stares to wide-eyed denial to sleepy eye-drooping. His wing on his hip, he appears sassy on one page, while on another his knee slightly bends as he stands in a big-eyed, innocent stance.

Children will love returning to Pigeon’s world and laughing at his arguing, and may even find some of their own tricks up the bird’s feathered sleeve. In the end, they’ll find out that, like them, Pigeon still must go to sleep eventually if he wants to rest and have fun the next day.

As you read, you can ask your child, “Is that really a good reason to stay up?” or “Is Pigeon telling the truth?” You can cover a lot of ground about fantasy and reality, truth versus fiction, and sheer children’s tricks in this one simple book. You can also point out how, even though the pigeon kept arguing, he’s still very loved and a very happy bird in his dreams.