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