The Pigeon Wants a Puppy [Hardcover]

Mo Willems (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up

He really, really, REALLY wants one. He'll take really good care of it! What's the matter--don't you want him to be happy?

 

The latest book in the best-selling Pigeon series is the funniest one yet.

Editorial Reviews

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, MD
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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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH; 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: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,263 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Pets
  • #17 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Birds
  • #27 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Dogs

More About the Author

A three-time Caldecott Honor winner for Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, Mo Willems has also won two Geisel Medals for There is a Bird on Your Head! and Are You Ready to Play Outside? And his books are perennial New York Times bestsellers. Before he turned to children's books, Mo was a writer and animator on Sesame Street, where he won six Emmy Awards. Mo lives with his family in Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Pigeon Makes You Laugh Out Loud, May 5, 2008

By 

Karen Joan "Siren" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Pigeon Wants a Puppy (Hardcover)

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy is the latest installment of "The Pigeon" books by Mo Willems. This is the first one that we have read, and both my 3 year old daughter and I laughed out loud. The Pigeon sounds like a typical preschooler, wanting what he wants when he wants it, and he wants it NOW.

Most children will recognize themselves in it, causing them great giggles. The Pigeon breaks the fourth wall, and speaks directly to your child. Mine answers him every time. The Pigeon begs, he pleads, he yells, he bargains, he tantrums to get the puppy that he must, Must, MUST have...that is, until he gets it.

This is a truly delightful and engaging story to read out loud to your little ones. It is an excellent length for a bedtime story, and one you will both enjoy. We look forward to reading more. This has very quickly become a new favorite at our house.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ideal to read aloud, April 4, 2008

By 

Julie Neal (Sanibel Island, Fla.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Pigeon Wants a Puppy (Hardcover)

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 Finds a Hot Dog!
The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!
and
The Pigeon Loves Things That Go!.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well, the secret's out... (SPOILER ALERT), April 1, 2008

By 

Seano (Norristown, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pigeon Wants a Puppy (Hardcover)

The long wait is over! The pigeon officially wants....

...a PUPPY!

Mo Willems once again creates a wonderful read-aloud book that engages children in a silly conversation that will tickle and delight. I am a huge fan of Willems' Pigeon books, and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus is easily in my Top Ten for Kids of All Time (see, I capitalized it, so it's really important!). Every time I read these aloud to groups of kids or to a single child, they light up and jump right into the story. A Pigeon story-time is a performance where the audience is in on the show.

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy once again presents the loveable pigeon's pleading, bargaining and tantrums; this time for a puppy. Kids will be rolling when they hear him mistaking a puppy for something he'd have to water once a month, and Willems' illustrations again are so evocative, you can't help but read it with full emotion.

Two thumbs up, ten out of ten, five stars, and all that jazz. Long live the Pigeon!