The Real Poop on Pigeons!: TOON Level 1 (Giggle and Learn) - Hardcover

McCloskey, Kevin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1935179934 ISBN 13: 9781935179931

Publisher: TOON Books, 2016

Synopsis

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

★ ". . . smoothly mixing naturalism with offbeat visual humor."–Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

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's bestselling Giggle and Learn series blends facts and fun to entertain young readers about common creatures.

About this title

About the Author

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.

Reviews

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 Journalα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: TOON Books
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1935179934
• ISBN 13: 9781935179931
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 40