Customer Reviews

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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!.

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!

I love Mo Willems, and because we are huge "Pigeon" fans, I immediately bought the book without even looking through it. While the book is very cute, and the pigeon is as funny as always, I felt as though this book was not up to the same 5-star rating that I would give "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" or "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late" (two books that have been read over 500 times in our house). I kept hoping for something more to the book. Maybe it was because it was missing his trademark 2-page, 8 block spread with rapid-fire "excuses" the pigeon uses to make his case (even my 7 year old commented that it was missing from the book on the first reading). Regardless, it is a very cute book, and if you have a "Pigeon" fan in your house, they will definitely like the latest edition to the series.

By far, the best pigeon book yet! As a first grade teacher, there is no better way to get kids hooked on books than by reading a book that forces the reader to YELL! What fun we had today uncovering the mystery of what that pigeon really wants. Thankfully Amazon sent the pre-order a bit early, or we would have had some very disappointed students (and teachers!). To top it all off, the Pigeon turned 5 on the same day (April 1st) so it brought on a full day of celebration! But, this book did leave us wondering...what is next for the pigeon?????

The Pigeon wants a puppy. He really does. And with all the glee and naïveté 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. It's about early education so that our children learn and grow and develop a consciousness in which "The teeth! The hair! That wet nose! The slobber! The claws!" of a dog are taken into consideration before he is taken into our homes. ("I mentioned the teeth, right?") And it's about a shift in perception, away from our egocentric view of humanity as little gods with dominion over the earth and its creatures, towards a donning of the mantle of humane stewardship: our responsibility and gift to the world around us in return for Life itself.

Willems' Pigeon is an iconic figure: at turns playful and pouting, he embodies the intense and unrealistic yearnings of youth, an Everychild (or Everypigeon) who flies in the face of romantic ideals. But the lessons the Pigeon has to teach are not just for children - and certainly should not be limited to children "Ages 2-6" as suggested on the back of the book. Indeed, this brilliant little tome should be required reading at shelters, rescue organizations, and even breeders' facilities and pet stores (if, heaven forbid, one should choose to purchase a puppy from one of those). Certainly all dog trainers need to be aware of this book.

I do want my clients to be happy. I do understand. The desire for a warm-bodied, four-legged friend with whom to share a home and a hearth is as natural as evolution itself. But the expectation that that living, thinking, breathing animal be as two-dimensional as a character in a storybook, the demand that the multi-dimensional animal who shows up instead be instantly adaptive to our established schedule and routine - that's not natural. And as a dog behavior consultant it is my job to educate my clients on the difference. Mo Willems' The Pigeon Wants a Puppy will be an essential part of my curriculum from now on. Now, who's going to help train or re-home the walrus?

Another great addition to the Pigeon series!!! This one had my daughter and I laughing again and again (because we read it again and again!!).

The pigeon wants a puppy - something all kids can relate to! But when the pigeon gets what he wants, well... I don't want to give away the ending :)

Pidgeon returns with a brand new obsession: he wants a puppy and he wants it now! When I read this to my grand-daughters I laughed out loud. The book is funny but not in the way that THEY found it funny. In the world of children's books it's easy to suspend disbelief and accept that Pidgeon could long for a puppy. But the temper tantrum when at first he doesn't get his way, and his startled and terror-filled recognition that a puppy was much too big and toothy is so evocative of children between 3 and 8 years. Loved this book!

Animals don't get much more emotional than Pigeon; this bird makes manipulation fun! He (Pigeon could be a she, but I'll use the male pronoun here) postures, poses, plays coy, makes these goo-goo eyes at you, and says -- unknowingly--the most preposterous things, all because he REALLY wants a puppy.

Mo Willems, the master of simplicity, conveys all the avian non-verbals with eyeball placement, stance, two wings (acting as arms) and tiny legs, eyelids, and just a few lines to suggest motion. With those simple elements, Willems creates an absolutely adorable bird, in part I suspect because his still growing body, and the transparency of emotion reminds us of our own youngsters.

Pigeon's verbal tactics complement his physical melodramatics. Pigeon vacillates between coy, indirect pleas, and foot-stomping demands, switching from one emotion to another in split seconds! Pigeon directly address the reader, emotionally involving the audience in an intimate, just-between-you-and-me tone. For example, you or your youngster may be quite familiar with THE PROMISE:
"Oh, don't worry. I'll take care of it. I promise I'll water it once a month."

Another favorite is THE GUILT TRIP:
"Oh... I get it. You don't want me to be happy, do you?" You don't want me to take a piggy back ride on my puppy...!"

Pigeon's pleas are funny because his bargaining is so obvious, his facts so wrong, his emotions so labile, and the purity of his expression so fresh and loveable. Willems captures all of this in a style that follows Poe's dictum that every element in a story should be there for a reason. The story has a socko surprise ending: The puppy finally arrives, however, Pigeon discovers it's a BIG dog, and he is aghast! As fast as you can say "...That wet nose! The slobber! The claws!," pigeon changes his mind--now he's all sincerely lovelorn (hearts surround his words) over getting a walrus! The endpapers show a crate addressed to "The Pigeon" containing "ONE WALRUS."

Perhaps like no one else working in kids' picture books, Willems little gems speak directly to small kids, and bring a twinkle of recognition to adults. They're clever, knowing, and extremely funny. By the way, Willems' extraordinary talent has not gone unnoticed, his books have won two Caldecott honors, and his writing for "Sesame Street" earned him six Emmys. He's an all-time favorite, and your young toddler to kindergarten-age kid will love any and all of Willems' work. You will too!

Our family loves all the pigeon stories. The Puppy version is very cute and kids can relate to the pigeon's plea. However this story has not been as much fun to read as the other pigeon stories because it is less interactive. In Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, kids get to enthusiastically tell the pigeon "no!" on almost every page which is most of the fun. This story does not give kids as much of an opportunity to play disciplinarian--a big and unusual role for a preschooler.