The pigeons are coming to roost at the Summit County Library Kamas Valley Branch.

Even though the event is scheduled to run from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 1, the Pigeon Party is no joke, said Rachel Spohn, Kamas Valley Branch manger.

“We’ll have a lot of things going on,” she said. “It’s going to be a fun celebration.”

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The party will honor the 20th anniversary of artist and author Mo Willems’ Caldecot Award-winning children’s book, “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.”

The book, which features an interactive storyline and a mischievous pigeon, kick started a multi-book series that is full of whimsy, fun and humorous life lessons, according to Spohn.

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“I like how silly the pigeon is,” she said. “And I like how he is an entry point that gets kids interested in reading more. So many books later, the series is still going strong.”

To date, Willems — an animator and a prolific author and Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal winner — has published 11 Pigeon books:

• “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!” (2003)
• “The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!” (2004)
• “The Pigeon Loves Things That Go!” (2005)
• “The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!” (2005)
• “Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!” (2006)
• “The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!” (2008)
• “The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?” (2012)
• “Don’t Let the Pigeon Finish This Activity Book!” (2012)
• “The Pigeon Needs a Bath!” (2014)
• “The Pigeon HAS to Go to School!” (2019)
• “The Pigeon Will Ride the Rollercoaster!” (2022)

Saturday’s Pigeon Party will feature different activity stations that tie into the books, Spohn said.

“We’ll have hotdogs for ‘Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog’ and some cookies for ‘The Duckling Gets a Cookie,’” she said. “And for ‘Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus,’ we’ll have the Summit County Library’s Bookmobile here.”

Linda Bliss, the Summit County Library’s outreach services librarian, will give tours of the Bookmobile, which brings library services to schools, the home-bound and others in Summit County who can’t visit the library, Spohn said.

“Linda will give kids a chance to see how the bookmobile works,” she said. “It will be a fun time celebrating these books.”

In addition, representatives from the the Summit County Heath Department will be on hand to provide provide various safety information and car seat checks, Spohn said.

“Since they knew there were going to be kids and families at the event, we all felt like it was a good idea to bring the health department on board,” she said. “We are partnering with them, and they will host several activities.”

Throughout the day, the library staff will also hand out prizes to attendees, Spohn said.

“We’ll be giving away the books and plushy pigeon toys,” she said.

Although the event is free, Spohn said the library staff encourages people to register by visiting, thesummitcountylibrary.org/events/pigeon-party-kamas-valley-branch.

“That way we can make sure we have enough food and prizes for everybody,” she said. “But if people don’t get a chance to register, they are still invited to join the fun.”

The Kamas Valley Branch has always wanted to host Pigeon Party after the Kimball Junction Branch held one a couple of years ago, according to Spohn.

“It was really popular, and since then we had always tossed around the idea of doing it here in Kamas,” she said. “Then when we found it was the 20th anniversary of the first book, we felt we really needed to go for it.”

Spohn’s love for the books, which includes her favorite, “The Duckling Gets a Cookie,” first came through Willems’ art.

“I think the drawings and colors are deceptively simple,” she said. “And I love how expressive the pigeon is. It has the perfect side eye when he’s not happy.”

Willems’ art is what attracts readers, and the words draw them into the stories, Spohn said.

“It’s the great combination, and serves as the perfect way to entice younger readers to read more,” she said. “Everyone here loves these books. And after 20 years they still speak to kids and parents.”