PIGEON FLIGHT

Deposed from his perch stop the bust of General Sherman in Central Park, Mr. Pigeon broads and sulks. Nothing Mrs. Pigeon can do will alter his disposition or affect his haughtiness. After an irksome quarrel with a squirrel, Mr. Pigeon announces his decision to retire to the country -- away from all the rowdies and ruffians of New York. A pretty little park in Connecticut intrigues Mrs. Pigeon, but Mr. Pigeon declines. ""I will not become a commuter at my time of life,"" he retorts. After a hectic trip north, they finally settle down in a small New England graveyard where they spend the cold months foraging for food and maintaining a windy perch on a tombstone. A visit from a Central Park resident, a mallard duck, evokes nostalgia even in pompous Mr. Pigeon and helps him to recognize a mistake he is too proud to admit. After all, his friends are pining for him and he is at heart, pining for the city. Safely perched on the bust of Schiller, Mr. Pigeon now asserts that ""travel alters one's perspective"". Witty and sublimely amusing, this has special appeal for the sophisticated city slicker, (adults will love the satire) but equal charm for any child who loves a good story.