The Pigeon wants a puppy!

The Pigeon wants a puppy!

Bibliography

Willems, Mo. 2008. THE PIGEON WANTS A PUPPY! Ill. by Mo Willems. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for children. ISBN: 9781423109600 

Plot Summary

The plot of this book is simple: the Pigeon wants a puppy! The Pigeon promises to take care of the puppy and he’ll “play tennis with it!” He promises that he will water the puppy “at least once a month.” However when the puppy arrives the Pigeon finds himself scared of the puppy because of its size and teeth!

The moral of this story is be careful what you wish for.

Critical Analysis

Mo Willems has created a successful children’s series starring Pigeon and the antics he gets himself into. The book the Pigeon wants a puppy! fully reflects the stage that every child eventually goes through: wanting an animal. It addresses the many problems that parents will face as the child promises to take care of it again and again, but may not follow through.

The illustrations were also done by the author of this book, Mo Willems. He uses simple two dimensional characters with uncomplicated colors. The book also had little or no backgrounds which makes it straightforward for younger children to focus on the story.

Review Excerpts

Publisher’s Weekly: “ Pigeon is still a marvel of visual expression.”

Examiner.com: “This spot-on depiction of a child's thought processes made me laugh from cover to cover.”

Connections

-          Other books by Mo Willems

o   Don’t let the Pigeon drive the bus. ISBN: 078681988

o   My friend is sad. ISBN: 9781423102977

-          The poky little puppy. Janette Sebring Lowery. ISBN: 0307103943

Kitten's First Full Moon

Kitten’s First Full Moon

Bibliography

Henkes, Kevin. 2004. KITTEN’S FIRST FULL MOON Ill. by Kevin Henkes New York, NY: Harper Collins Publisher. ISBN 006588284

Plot Summary

Kitten, of Kitten’s First Full Moon, is confused. The moon looks like a bowl of milk, but as she attempts to reach it through a game of chase and batting at it with no avail. The kitten spots a reflection in a pond, and quickly finds out that it is not a bowl of milk. However the story has a happy ending when the kitten returns home and finds a bowl of milk on the front porch.

The moral of this story is to never give up.

Critical Analysis

Kevin Henkes uses a kitten to express ingenuity and curiosity that is not only found in children, but all young animals. He quickly establishes a target that has been the subject of interest for centuries, what is the moon made of, what does the moon taste like, why can you only see it at night. This book is a creative way to teach children about the moon and how to explore their curiosities.

The author is also the illustrator of this book and uses simple black and white illustrations to convey the story and message.

Review Excerpts

Caldecott Medal Winners

New York Times: Children’s Books: Cat and Mouse Games

School Library Journal:  “Kitten has clawed her way up the charts”

Top 100 Picture books- School Library Journal

Connections

-          Does a kangaroo have a mother, too? By Eric Carle. ISBN: 0060287675

-          One pup’s up. By Marsha Wilson Chall. ISBN: 9781416979609 

-          Books about the moon

-          Books about baby animals

-          Other Caldecott Medal Winner

o   The Big Snow by Berta and Elmer Hader

o   If I ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss

-          Other books by Kevin Henkes

o   Lily’s Purple Purse. ISBN: 0688128971

o   Chrysanthemum. ISBN: 0688096999

Millions of Cats

Millions of Cats

Bibliography

Ga’g, Wanda 1928. MILLIONS OF CATS. Ill. by Wanda Gag. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons. ISBN 0399233156

Plot Summary

This book focuses on a very old lonely couple who decides to get a cat. The very old man sets off to find the cat and run across “hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats.” The very old man can simply not make a decision on the cat that he wants. The very old woman is the voice of reason, and quickly points out that they simply could never keep the amount of cats he brought home. The very old man sees the truth in this and asks the cats which one is the prettiest and the cats quarrel over the question. The very old couple quickly disappears into the house and found that after a few minutes there are no more cats outside. The couple goes outside to ponder what happened to all the cats the very old man spots a scraggly kitten at the bottom of the hill hiding in the tall grass and the couple wonders why this cat was spared. The kitten says “Oh, I’m just a homely little cat.” As the kitten grew the couple realizes this is the “most beautiful cat in the world.”

The moral of this story is do not judge something based on appearances; it is the character that is beauty.

Critical Analysis

Wanda Ga’g was a pioneer of her time. She began the concept of using both pages for illustrations rather than a single page. The characters are an old couple that is lonely. The very old woman is the voice of reason and logic, while the very old man plays on emotions of wanting everything. The author uses both of them to show that sometimes the best decision for you is the one you do not make.

Wanda Ga’g also did all the illustrations for her book, pioneering the idea of using both pages for one picture, rather than each individual page for pictures. This led to a Newberry Honor award. The illustrations are simple in black and white, and support the words rather than the words supporting the pictures.

Review Excerpts

School Library Journal: “the picture book itself is hugely influential”

Newberry Honor award in 1929

100 best books for children

Connections

-          Read other books by Wanda Ga’g because she was the pioneer of using both pages for pictures rather than a single page.

-          Look at other books about late bloomers and deceiving appearances

o   Leo the late bloomer, by Robert Kraus ISBN: 9780064433488