This one’s playfulness invites repeat readings, and like Mr. Postmouse, it delivers consistently.
The dedicated postal worker who first appeared in Mr. Postmouse’s Rounds (2015) returns with his entire family for a much bigger adventure.
It’s time for the family to go on vacation, but if Mr. Postmouse’s local deliveries are any indication, it won’t be a lazy day at the beach. In fact, Mr. Postmouse, Mrs. Postmouse, and their three little mice travel the world, going from campsite to ocean cruise to desert oasis to city. In each location, Dubuc’s double-page spreads show cross sections of animals’ house interiors: there is a sloth’s treetop dwelling, a dragon’s volcano lair, and even a lizard’s cozy home inside a cactus. They’re rendered in careful, cute detail. It feels like a busy critter cast of thousands, making every page one to be examined for minutes at a time. A lot of the text, which serves mostly to explain each setting and move the family along, is perfunctory (“And then it’s a quick city stop!”). It’s the playful, witty worldbuilding drawings that do the heavy lifting and tell dozens of individual stories. By the time the Postmouses take to the skies in a hot air balloon, readers could be forgiven for being as exhausted as the family of mice, ready to return home. And that they do, having apparently brought home a penguin in a suitcase and lots of memories from around the world.
This one’s playfulness invites repeat readings, and like Mr. Postmouse, it delivers consistently. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-77138-354-7
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
An earnest graduation gift: sweet for lifelong fans, cheerfully encouraging for striving, future graduates.
Success comes at last for the bright-eyed Pigeon.
A clever, tongue-in-cheek ersatz colophon reveals that this graduate has been awarded a “Master of Ornery-thology, Bachelor of Arts of Persuasion with a Minor in Major Freak-outs (summa cum loudly).” Fans will be glad that the Pigeon’s tireless, abundant optimism is finally being ceremoniously recognized. On the cover, the Pigeon wears a mortarboard at a jaunty angle, commenting, “I have the hat!” Of course, dressing the part is essential. But also, “I did the work. I paid attention to the little details. I took some BIG steps.” The Pigeon encountered obstacles (not shown, but many memorable ones will come to mind for the Pigeon's followers). And the Pigeon is plagued by worries familiar to many students who are about to graduate: “WHAT WILL HAPPEN THEN?!? What will I do? Who will I be?” The Pigeon appears in every frame, in close-ups and in poses variously thoughtful, confident, or slightly distressed. Our hero’s simple big eyes and wings are, as ever, remarkably expressive. “Oop!” In one scene, while walking off the dais, diploma in wing, the Pigeon comes to what seems like the edge of a chasm. At last, our hero takes flight with other graduates. Willems' popular characters Gerald and Piggie are there to look on admiringly.
An earnest graduation gift: sweet for lifelong fans, cheerfully encouraging for striving, future graduates. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781454960430
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Familiarity breeds a birthday for the ages in this party worth attending.
Don’t let the Pigeon ruin his own special day!
Anyone who has ever encountered the title character in any of his books—whether his first, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (2003), or one of its many sequels—will understand that the bird’s innate self-love drives his every interaction. Little wonder, then, that he’s thrilled about his own “bird-day.” He has the hat. He has his “FANCY PLUMAGE.” And, best of all, he will get to blow out a candle “on my bird-day hot dog!” As he revels in the knowledge that this day is all for him, comeuppance is lurking. Someone has already blown out the bird-day candle—and eaten half the hot dog. It turns out that the Pigeon’s frenemy, the Duckling, has the same bird-day—as do a slew of newly hatched chicks. The Pigeon’s obligatory eight-panel freakout ensues. “What am I—invisible? I just want to be seen,” he whimpers, and when he receives some much-needed reassurance, he settles down and willingly shares his special day. While the switch from unapologetic narcissism to mature acceptance happens in the record-breaking span of two pages, the book is as enchanting as the Pigeon’s earlier outings. Even as it walks in the footsteps of its predecessors, there’s no denying the fun to be had.
Familiarity breeds a birthday for the ages in this party worth attending. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9781454999621
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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