Only a Pigeon [Hardcover]

Jane Kurtz (Author), Christopher Kurtz (Author), E.B. Lewis (Illustrator)

Book Description

Ondu-ahlem thinks of his favorite bird, Chinkay, as more than just a pigeon, and when the young Ethiopian boy sets the bird free, he learns that the pigeon represents everything that is proud, beautiful, and free."

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5. "In Ethiopia,/a land of ancient churches and castles" begins this beautiful book, moving swiftly from broad, poetic images of the country to a narrative about the life of an individual boy. Lewis's watercolors accurately portray the city of Addis Ababa, from morning sunshine to evening darkness, and to the breaking of the next day. The full-page, realistic paintings are rendered in dusty tones of brown and green. The story focuses on Ondu-ahlem and his relationships with a brother, his friends, and his pigeons. The birds are all that he owns in the world, and he nurtures them tenderly and protects them from a hungry mongoose. He shares his delight in some ready-to-hatch eggs with his little brother and competes with his friends as they race their favorite pigeons home. As Ondu-ahlem gets up in the morning from the mat he shares with two brothers, goes to school for half a day, and shines shoes in the afternoon to earn money, readers learn about how few possessions he has and that it is necessary that he contribute to the family's income. Beyond this, however, children will respond to the suspense of the pigeon race and the threat of a predator, and they will identify with Ondu-ahlem. An author's note provides factual support. Here, finally, is a picture book about an African boy who lives in a city. In well-crafted, sometimes lyrical language and visual images, his life is made very real.?Loretta Kreider Andrews, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, MD
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 4-9. There is gentleness in the words and light-filled watercolors of this picture book about a poor Ethiopian boy in the city of Addis Ababa who cares for the homing pigeons that are precious to him. Ondu-ahlem owns almost nothing. He shares a mat and blanket with his two younger brothers, walks three miles to his crowded school, and earns money shining shoes in the afternoon; but he tends his pigeon coop with infinite care, guarding against hungry predators, holding the eggs that are almost ready to hatch. There is not much story, but excitement rises when his favorite pigeon is released in a race and makes it home. In one beautiful picture, where Ondu-ahlem feeds a young orphan bird mouth to mouth with moistened grain, Lewis evokes the fragility and sturdiness of bird and child. This contemporary urban scene is a long way from picturesque, exotic Africans in native dress. Kids will be caught by the pet story of pigeon raising (an author's note discusses training) as much as by the account of one boy and the place where he lives. Hazel Rochman

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 1st edition (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689800770
• ISBN-13: 978-0689800771
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #838,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jane Kurtz was born in Portland, Oregon, but when she was two years old, her parents decided to move to Ethiopia, where she spent most of her childhood. She didn't live in the United States for more than a couple of year-long visits (in Boise and Pasadena) until she started college, feeling like an awkward outsider. Her books set in Ethiopia have helped her give glimpses into the land of her childhood.

Now Jane speaks about being an author at schools and conferences--in all but eleven of the United States, so far, and such places as Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, France, Germany, Romania, England, Indonesia, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Japan. Her travels have put her in touch with all kinds of kids who are changing the world, one kid at a time, something her idealistic parents made her also want to do. Thus she helped start Ethiopia Reads (www.ethiopiareads.org), a nonprofit that is planting the first libraries for children in Ethiopia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple picaresque of a life foreign to most of us, January 11, 2001

By 

Gwyneth Calvetti (West Salem, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Only a Pigeon (Hardcover)

This story, of a young boy awaiting the time when he can race his pigeons, glows with detail of everyday life in a world that would be foreign, both in sights and possessions, to most of the young readers to whom the book is aimed.

Rather than evoking a sense of "Oh, what a hard life," instead Ms. Kurtz tells the story of a day in this boy's life, allowing his spirit and excitement about the thing he really loves to shine through.

An enjoyable read in its own merit, Only a Pigeon is a wonderful resource for any number of curricular topics, whether it is multiculturalism, social studies or even values education. The paintings show a busy city through which this young boy must navigate, and details of life in Addis Ababa can be gleaned from Cooper's sensitive paintings, without the need to read through description or fact.