The Real Poop on Pigeons (Toon Books Level 1)

by Kevin McCloskey (Author) Kevin McCloskey (Illustrator)

The Real Poop on Pigeons (Toon Books Level 1)
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

Did you know a pigeon can fly faster than a car and farther than a small airplane? Or that they have something unusual in common with penguins, flamingos, and even the dodo? With his trademark mix of humor, well-researched facts, and artistry, Kevin McCloskey delivers the straight poop on these humble creatures, which turn out to be...coo, coo, COOL!

Kevin McCloskey, who teaches illustration at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania, learned about pigeons from Vinnie Torre, one of Hoboken's last pigeon racers. He dedicated this book to his children, even if his daughter is a little skittish on the subject since a flock of pigeons descended on the family during a visit to London's Trafalgar Square. He says he considered painting the pictures here on roofing material (because pigeons flock to roofs) but settled instead for painting on a pigeon-blue Fabriano paper, the kind used by Picasso.

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Kirkus

Starred Review
Budding naturalists who dug We Dig Worms! will, well, coo over this similarly enlightening accolade . . . Another feather in McCloskey's cap.

ALA/Booklist

A playful and informative take on the ubiquitous, under-appreciated pigeon.

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

McCloskey (We Dig Worms!) shifts focus to another oft-maligned animal, smoothly mixing naturalism with offbeat visual humor. When a bearded park visitor expresses his dislike for pigeons, a brigade of children dressed in pigeon costumes descend and proceed to explain why pigeons are wonderful. "Before airplanes, pigeon carried the first airmail!" notes one child, while others highlight that the birds fly faster than cars, mate for life, and have a number of showy breeds. Even Picasso--a renowned pigeon lover--makes an appearance. McCloskey's enthusiasm for his subject is abundantly clear, and he nails the ending with a gag involving another urban standby: the squirrel. Ages 5-up. (Apr.)

Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Gr 2-5--McCloskey turns his eye from the ground (We Dig Worms!, Toon, 2015) toward the heavens, revealing the wonder--and even beauty--of the common city pigeon. A man shoos and poo-poos a couple of cooing "rats with wings," only to be confronted by a group of kids in pigeon costumes bearing interesting facts about the maligned birds. Through a series of panels and full spreads, readers learn that before the invention of airplanes, pigeons carried mail; that they are faster than a car; that they mate for life; and that they come in a wide variety of breeds, some of which are quite fancy, such as the Victoria Crowned, named for Queen Victoria. In a brief author's note, McCloskey explains that his painted, cartoon-style illustrations are done on pigeon blue Fabriano paper, the kind used by Pablo Picasso, an artist so enraptured by the birds that he named his daughter Paloma (the Spanish word for pigeon). Complementing the paintings are well-integrated reproductions of historic pigeon prints from the author's personal collection. Some facts are presented in a simple and straightforward manner ("When two pigeons make a family, that's called mating.... If a human picks the two pigeons to mate, that is called breeding."), while other tidbits, presented in speech bubbles, lend the title a more informal, humorous tone ("Picasso's dad kept pigeons...and young Pablo cleaned the poop in the coop."). VERDICT Funny and informative, this attractive work of graphic nonfiction offers emerging comics readers an intriguing look at a commonly dismissed and ignored animal.--Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

Bank Street College of Education's Best Children's Books of the Year 2017

Chicago Public Library's "Best of the Best" 2016

Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices 2017: Science, Technology, and the Natural World

"This paean to the worm is a winning combination of facts and gross-out fun." - New York Times

"Delivered with a sense of gusto and humor." - Comics Worth Reading

"This 36-page book for first readers teaches humorous and fascinating facts about those cooing birds that every child sees almost every day." - Fred Patten Reviews
Kevin McCloskey
Kevin McCloskey, who teaches illustration at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania, learned about pigeons from Vinnie Torre, one of Hoboken's last pigeon racers. He dedicated this book to his children, even if his daughter is a little skittish on the subject since a flock of pigeons descended on the family during a visit to London's Trafalgar Square. He says he considered painting the pictures here on roofing material (because pigeons flock to roofs) but settled instead for painting on a pigeon-blue Fabriano paper, the kind used by Picasso.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781943145430
Lexile Measure
500
Guided Reading Level
N
Publisher
Toon Books
Publication date
September 10, 2019
Series
Toon Books Level One
BISAC categories
JNF051150 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Zoology
JNF003030 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Animals | Birds
JNF062000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Comics & Graphic Novels | General
Library of Congress categories
Pigeons
Bank Street College of Education
Best Children's Books of the Year 2017 2017
Chicago Public Library
Best of the Best 2016 2016
Cooperative Children's Book Center
Choices 2017

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