The Pigeon Wants a Puppy Author: Visit Amazon's Mo Willems Page | Language: English | ISBN:
1423109600 | Format: PDF
The Pigeon Wants a Puppy Description
From School Library Journal
Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 3—The incorrigible bird returns in his fourth full-length romp. This time, Pigeon voices another common childhood dream: he wants a puppy. And he wants it NOW. He even promises to take care of it: "I'll water it once a month." He argues his case so forcefully that a puppy appears, but it's more than he expects: "The teeth! The hair! That wet nose!...I mentioned the teeth, right?" So he sets his sights on a different pet. Kids will love this perfectly paced picture book, which offers both the expected (breaking the fourth wall, Pigeon's classic temper tantrum) and a new twist (Pigeon actually gets what he wants? Impossible!). Willems's hilariously expressive illustrations and engaging text are cinematic in their interplay. Maybe kids won't appreciate the genius behind it the way adults will, but that won't stop them from asking for this book again and again.—
Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MDCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Pigeon, the stubborn preschool impersonator last met in Don’t Let Pigeon Stay up Late (2006), returns for another encounter with an unseen adult. This time, he’s angling for a puppy, and once again his approach perfectly mirrors a child’s, from calm reassurances (“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll take care of it!”) to sulking to a full-blown tantrum: “I WANT A PUPPY! RIGHT HERE! RIGHT NOW!” Amazingly, his dream comes true, but when a big, slobbery pooch appears in the frame, the terrified Pigeon discovers that, in fact, he may not be a “puppy-loving pigeon” after all. Maybe a walrus is more his speed. Willems skillfully executes the formula that made previous Pigeon titles so popular: minimal artwork that places all the attention on the cajoling little bird, whose words and body language will strike a chord of familiarity with every child. Once again, kids will reach the story’s end wondering what Pigeon will want next. Preschool. --Gillian Engberg
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- Age Range: 2 - 6 years
- Grade Level: Preschool - Kindergarten
- Hardcover: 40 pages
- Publisher: Disney-Hyperion; 1 edition (April 1, 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1423109600
- ISBN-13: 978-1423109600
- Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 9.4 x 0.3 inches
- Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Preschoolers will recognize themselves in Pigeon, a big-eyed blue bird that really, really, really wants a puppy. He's wanted it "forever! At least since last Tuesday."
Pigeon speaks directly to the reader from page one. "Oh, hello. How are you? I'm fine, thanks for asking." He proceeds to tell you how much he wants a puppy, how he'll take care of it by watering it once a month. Pigeon gets emotional when he concludes that you don't want him to have a puppy. He throws a tantrum: "I WANT A PUPPY! RIGHT HERE! RIGHT NOW!"
Mo Willems uses speech balloons to show that Pigeon is indeed speaking to the reader, and he changes the size of the type to show Pigeon's changing emotions. When the bird sulks, the type size is small, as if Pigeon is muttering to himself: "You just don't understand." And when the puppy arrives on the scene with a friendly "Woof?" Pigeon's terror shows with a bold, black scrawled "Aaaaaggghhh!"
Of course Pigeon changes his mind about wanting a puppy, and decides what he really, really, really wants is... a walrus.
Young kids will love reading along and answering back to Pigeon as he "talks" with them. This one joins Willems' other classics:
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!
The Pigeon wants a puppy. He really does. And with all the glee and na?veté of a child (or pigeon) he expresses his desires and expectations in this latest installment of storybook author Mo Willems' popular Pigeon series. He begs. He bargains. In red-echoed letters he demands. And of course he promises great feats of responsibility: "I promise I'll water it once a month." But would you make his dreams come true?
Many parents do. Many parents seem to see possession of a puppy as a rite of passage for their children: an ownership of life, a dry-run at all there is to come. Indeed, puppies and children go paw-in-hand for thousands of families, the embodiment of the American Dream. In fact, one-in-three American homes gives shelter to at least one dog. The problem is puppies are not possessions. And if puppy "ownership" is a dry-run at life for children, for the puppy it is very, very real. But of course the Pigeon can't see that. He's a puppy-lovin' pigeon! And the romance of his desire, swathed in rosy hues and fuchsia hearts, colors his judgment, as romantic ideals color the judgment of too many American families each year.
How many frantic phone calls I receive from parents at their wits' end because the puppy they brought home for junior has revealed himself to be shockingly alive: independent, averse to piggyback rides, and in need of more than sunshine and monthly watering. And the fact that they had wanted this four-legged possession forever - or "at least since last Tuesday" - notwithstanding, now they tell me his behavior must change immediately, yesterday!, or he has to go. As if he has anywhere to go.
It's about realistic expectations.
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