Dr. Coo and the Pigeon Protest - Hardcover

Hampson, Sarah

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1771383615 ISBN 13: 9781771383615

Publisher: Kids Can Press, 2018

Synopsis

Dr. Archibald Coo, an erudite big-city pigeon, is tired of the way people treat him and the other pigeons. They're always being shooed and swatted, and they're never admired the way the other birds are. As Dr. Coo tells his pigeon friends: ?It wasn't always this way.? In ancient times, pigeons were known to accompany the gods. They brought news of the Olympic Games to all of ancient Greece. And more recently, they delivered messages and medicine to soldiers on battlefields. They were heroes! Surely, Dr. Coo reasons, pigeons can find a way to earn the admiration of people once again. And he's got just the bold plan to do it.

Award-winning journalist Sarah Hampson's picture book debut is a celebration of the diversity inherent in a big city and a lesson on how looking for the good in others is the best way to get along with them. Through her activist pigeons, she offers a child-friendly example of how to affect change, and shows how cooperation and compromise are the keys for diverse groups to harmoniously coexist --- a topical subject. With soft lines and a warm palette, Kass Reich's illustrations bring a fresh pigeon's-eye perspective to New York's inhabitants and cityscapes. This book could be used to spark classroom discussions on respecting differences, working out disagreements, or stepping up to counter injustice, all important subjects for the budding self-awareness and personal development of young children. It also aligns with character education lessons on self-respect, initiative and inclusiveness.

About this title

About the Author

Sarah Hampson is an award-winning journalist with the Globe and Mail. This is her first foray into the world of writing for children. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Kass Reich worked for three years in Beijing as an early childhood educator --- and that's what inspired her to start making picture books. She now lives in Toronto, Ontario.

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2—Dr. Coo is a pigeon with a problem. He's noticed that for far too long, pigeons have gone unappreciated, and yearns for a time when they are valued like when they were used as carrier pigeons. With the help of his friends, Dr. Coo forms a pigeon protest, only returning to the city when the birds feel loved again. The story is pleasant but is a bit wordy; the actual protest doesn't happen until rather late in the book, so the four main birds spend most of their time pleading their case to each other about how pigeons aren't respected. Though the message is welcome, the approach may be too monotonous for some. Reich's soft and adorable approach definitely elevates the piece. Her birds are cartoonish but gentle, and seeing them being chased around by old ladies and wearing army helmets definitely make the case for pigeon appreciation. VERDICT A warm addition for one-on-one and small group sharing.—Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI

Edition details

• Publisher: Kids Can Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1771383615
• ISBN 13: 9781771383615
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Reich Kass