#2 The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!

Title: The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!

Author: Mo Willems

Illustrator: Mo Willems

Publisher: Hyperion Books For Children

Copyright: 2008

Pages: 32

Genre/Category: Picture Book

I chose this book because I had been introduced to this series in my practicum classroom last semester and I really enjoyed the books I read with my students. The story is about a pigeon who, as the title suggests, wants a puppy for his very own. From the start, the pigeon talks directly to the reader about just how much he wants a puppy and what he will do with it, including making sure to water it once a month. He throws a tantrum until a puppy finally makes an appearance and makes him question if he really wants a puppy or not.

The illustrations appear to be simple crayon drawings, outlined in black. The characters are brightly drawn, cartoon-like, and very geometric in shape, There are no backgrounds in the book. Instead, the characters stand on plain pastel colored pages with no defined ground. Text bubbles appear above the pigeon's head, letting the reader know that he is speaking to them. The text also looks to be written in crayon.

This book is appropriate for all ages, but especially for children in kindergarten and 1st grade. Children of this age can relate to wanting a pet of their own and can identify with the pigeon begging and trying to convince the reader that he should have a puppy. I would recommend using this book in the classroom as an example of how we shouldn't act when we want something. It could also be used as a writing prompt to have the students draw a picture of something they want and write a sentence/story telling about it. This book can also be used to help children predict what happens next and to see if they can figure out how the pigeon feels by his actions and expressions.

This book received a 2009 Children’s Choice Book Award for “Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year.”