DON’T LET THE PIGEON STAY UP LATE!
From the Pigeon series
by Mo Willems & illustrated by Mo Willems
The pigeon with Attitude is back, trying every persuasive trick in his arsenal to convince readers to let him stay up late. After his 2004 outing with the hot dog, the presentation reverts to the original direct-address format, the pajama-clad bus driver asking readers to take care of things while he brushes his teeth. The pigeon (“First of all, I’m not even tired!”) alternates bombast with plaintiveness as the page backgrounds change from the familiar dusty pink to a deep, restful blue. The inevitable end is never in doubt, as our persistent hero fights off yawn after colossal yawn, increasingly bleary-eyed despite his determination to stay up late. Readers will easily recognize themselves in the pigeon, even as they will delight in sending him to bed—the fact that he sleeps with a stuffed knuffle bunny will add to the intertextual fun. If this offering necessarily lacks the freshness of the original, its wholehearted sense of fun more than makes up for any hint of formula. Sure to provide excuses to stay up late (“C’mon! What’s five minutes in the grand scheme of things?”) to countless giggling kids. (Picture book. 3-6)