Kirkus Reviews QR Code
PIGEONS by Berniece Kohn Hunt

PIGEONS

By

Pub Date: Aug. 22nd, 1973
Publisher: Prentice-Hall

Neither Waldman's antiseptic semi-abstractions -- which employ a combination of boldly outlined black-dotted silhouettes and flat color overlays -- nor the miscellaneous bag of facts about pigeons old and new, tame and wild, inspires any new affection for these vagrant birds. With little concern for continuity Hunt jumps from specialized characteristics (""Unlike most other birds, pigeons do not have to hold their heads back when they drink. . ."") to the most obvious banalities (""Every park has its 'pigeon people' who come each day. . . . Pigeons flock around at once. The flock is a colorful sight""). With only two or three sentences per page, the text still lacks coherence and inflection, and the final caution -- ""Fortunately, most people have learned that we must take care of our birds. If we do, our city pigeons will be with us for a long time to come"" -- strikes us as a misplaced ecological concern.