A bittersweet tribute to New York City, tinged with deep loneliness and self-delusion.
Egg is a snowball that was inadvertently lobbed into Blue’s wintery nest by a bundled-up child in Central Park. But Blue doesn’t know that.
“ ‘My, you’re early. How did you get here?’ asked Blue. / Egg was quiet.” Blue decides to put Egg into her orange bucket and go find its mother. So begins a lovingly rendered wintertime amble through New York City, from downtown views of the Statue of Liberty to Columbus Circle to a gatefold spread of the Brooklyn Bridge in snowy January. The Chrysler Building on the cover immediately sets the stage—a clever mash-up of skyscrapers comprised of cut-up scraps of old paper, equations, postmarks and charts. Blue carries Egg to the boathouse, to hot-dog stands (Egg isn’t hungry), to skyscraper tops… no mom in sight. In time, Bird grows attached to her silent “friend”—the image of Egg-in-bucket wearing opera glasses at Madame Butterfly is priceless—and all is well until April comes, the weather warms and Egg starts to shrink. One sunny morning in the nest, Egg disappears completely. (Spoiler: Egg melts, the bucket crashes to the ground below, Blue sees a puddle with a pink flower in it and thinks Egg has bloomed.) For a more gruesome story of “egg loss,” see Mini Grey’s Egg Drop (2009).
A bittersweet tribute to New York City, tinged with deep loneliness and self-delusion. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3718-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2011
Perfect for every underdog who wants to have a say.
A dog-loving child encourages a less-than-enthusiastic younger one to imagine they’re both canines.
From the first declaration—“I’d be a big dog! And you’d be a little one!”—readers know who’s calling the shots. Initially, the protagonists cavort off the page and through the neighborhood together, performing doggy capers such as tail wagging, stick carrying, and dirt digging. But by the time they encounter a multitude of like-minded creatures at the dog park, the disgruntled small pup is exhibiting out-and-out rebellion: “Being a dog is YOUR idea! Sometimes I HAVE IDEAS TOO!” The narrative wraps up with the younger child pretending to be a different animal entirely—cleverly foreshadowed through subtle details in the illustrations. Even the endpapers—lively silhouettes of dogs in the beginning and many different animals in closing—extend the theme to suggest the imaginative possibilities of pretend play. Cheerful, lightly hued colors fit the whimsical mood, while expressive body language allows the art to tell the story with a minimum of words. Ending on a surprising note, with a sweet compromise between the two main characters, the tale gives both kids the freedom to embrace their own preferences and styles—while still enjoying their game.
Perfect for every underdog who wants to have a say. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9780316581721
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way.
All the typical worries and excuses kids have about school are filtered through Willems’ hysterical, bus-loving Pigeon.
Told mostly in speech balloons, the bird’s monologue will have kids (and their caregivers) in stitches at Pigeon’s excuses. From already knowing everything (except whatever question readers choose to provide in response to “Go ahead—ask me a question. / Any question!”) to fearing learning too much (“My head might pop off”), Pigeon’s imagination has run wild. Readers familiar with Pigeon will recognize the muted, matte backgrounds that show off the bird’s shenanigans so well. As in previous outings, Willems varies the size of the pigeon on the page to help communicate emotion, the bird teeny small on the double-page spread that illustrates the confession that “I’m… / scared.” And Pigeon’s eight-box rant about all the perils of school (“The unknown stresses me out, dude”) is marvelously followed by the realization (complete with lightbulb thought bubble) that school is the place for students to practice, with experts, all those skills they don’t yet have. But it is the ending that is so Willems, so Pigeon, and so perfect. Pigeon’s last question is “Well, HOW am I supposed to get there, anyway!?!” Readers will readily guess both the answer and Pigeon’s reaction.
Yes, the Pigeon has to go to school, and so do readers, and this book will surely ease the way. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-04645-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
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