Will the Pigeon Enjoy a Roller Coaster?
As my niece and nephew have gotten older and grown beyond picture books, I’ve lost track of Mo Willems’s latest releases. But when I spotted that he had a new Pigeon book coming out this year, I knew I had to see what the Pigeon was up to now. And I enjoyed The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster!
If you aren’t familiar with these books (or Mo’s books in general), Pigeon is the star of this book. In fact, he’s really the only character. And the entire story is communicated to us through wonderful pictures and dialogue. There are a few other characters we see, but it’s almost all Pigeon. Unlike others in the series, this one works mostly as a monologue from Pigeon. Some of the other books lead to interaction as he was trying to get us to go along with what he wants, but that’s not the case here.
And Pigeon is ready to ride a roller coaster. He knows he will need a ticket. He knows he will need to wait in line. And he knows it will be scary as it twists and turns at high speed. But he is ready. Is he really ready for what will happen next?
I will say, I thought I knew where this book was going to go before I picked it up. I’ve read other Pigeon books, after all. I was actually surprised by what happened at the end of the book. It was both a little anti-climatic and funny at the same time. The final page, however, definitely made me laugh. It would totally be me. And it’s a good lesson to everyone that sometimes things you are looking forward to turn out to be a disappointment.
Normally, I would recommend these books as a good early reader since the vocabulary is typically pretty simple with just enough challenging words to help the young reader grow. In this case, I think a few of the word choices might be a little too abstract for young minds. Of course, once you explain it once or twice, they will grasp the concept and enjoy the book. Still, I wonder if there couldn’t have been a few simpler words used.
As always, the illustrations are a bit on the cartoony side. But they work perfectly for this story and allow Pigeon to express a full range of emotions for maximum comic effect.
While this isn’t the best Pigeon book, fans young and old will still enjoy The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster!
My granddaughter was a huge MO fan, and I could see why. I think she has lost interest — she’s now a college student.
ReplyDeletebest… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
A book that makes you laugh is always a good book!
ReplyDelete