The Pigeon Wants a Puppy | Mo Willems | The Pigeon Makes You Laugh Out Loud

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy | Mo Willems | The Pigeon Wants a Puppy: A Dog Trainer's View

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The Pigeon Wants a...

	The Pigeon Wants a Puppy Mo Willems Hyperion Book CH, 2008 - 40 pages average customer review:based on 25 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The Pigeon Makes You Laugh Out Loud

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.

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The Pigeon Wants a Puppy: A Dog Trainer's View

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?

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Kids love these books!

My kindergartners love the Pigeon books. They are great for teaching concepts, reading, and just having a good laugh!

Pigeon Rules

The Pigeon is back, and he is as adorable as ever. Buy this book, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, and Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late. They entertain and educate parents and children.

The Whole Pigeon Series is Great!

This entire series is brilliant!
My kids (5 and 2 years old) love them.
OK, once you've seen one, the other stories and drawings are pretty much the same, but to a 5 year old, the drawings really capture the feelings and emotions of a poor pigeon trying to get his way.
It's amazing how some simple lines and circles can be manipulated to reflect such a wide range of emotions on a pigeon's face!
The look of amusement on the kids's faces as they read the book and see the different pigeon feelings on each page really make purchasing the pigeon series by Mo Willems worth it.

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reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4, 5

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