Walker ISBN 9781406389012 £6.99
Fans of Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus and other titles will be delighted that this beguiling, drama queen of a pigeon is having another outing. Created by a former writer and animator on Sesame Street, this bird carries all the hallmarks of wit, humour and original voice we might expect from such a background. In this book, the pigeon carries on a one-sided conversation with the invisible ‘other’ who plans to send him to school. With all the outrage he can muster, he summons every argument he can think of as to why he should not go, until he admits he is scared. Now he lists all the things he is worried about: maths, reading (with just one eye – a lovely Willems joke about his own illustration), finger paints sticking to his feathers, even lunch. He describes how helpful it would be to have a safe place to practise all this first: an exact description of school! Thus caught out, he surrenders reluctantly – until he spots the school bus, “Step aside!” Large print in speech bubbles and a wonderfully expressive pigeon on each pastel-coloured page, this is a perfect book to read aloud to reassure pre-schoolers and to relish with Reception/Y1 as they reflect on how far they’ve come. KS2 pupils could look at Americanisms and even design their own ‘worry book’ for younger pupils.
Sue Barrett
