Mo Willems

When a bus driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer springs up to take his place-a pigeon! But you’ve never met one like this before. As he pleads, wheedles, and begs his way through the book, children will love being able to answer back and decide his fate. In his hilarious picture book debut, popular cartoonist Mo Willems perfectly captures a preschooler’s temper tantrum.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

Why does the Pigeon have to go to school? He already knows everything! And what if he doesn’t like it? What if the teacher doesn’t like him? What if he learns TOO MUCH!?! Ask not for whom the school bell rings; it rings for the Pigeon!

The Pigeon HAS to Go to School!

Jonathan Stutzman

Heather Fox

The dynamic team behind Llama Destroys the World returns with a laugh-out-loud tale about the dangers…of feeding pigeons! When you see a coo, you will be tempted to give it a treat. Coos are adorable, peaceful, kind of silly. But DON’T FEED THE COO! If you feed one, they will ALL come… So begins Don’t Feed the Coos, a cautionary tale that details the fallout when a little girl decides to share some bread with a coo (aka pigeon). From the park to home to the arcade to karate practice, the coos follow the generous-but-foolish girl who didn’t heed the warning. Because when you give a coo a crumb…the entire population of coos will come! But fret not: our spunky little heroine will discover that even the biggest of problems can be solved with a little determination. In the grand tradition of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Don’t Feed the Coos reminds us that the most disastrous of reactions can come from the most innocent of actions. Jonathan Stutzman and Heather Fox deliver another ridiculous and hilarious story, sure to delight fans of The Bad Seed and I Want My Hat Back.

Don't Feed the Coos!

Pigeon is very angry when the duckling gets a cookie just by asking politely.

The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?

How does it feel to be a Pigeon? Well, the bus driver is trying to get him to act happy, but as we all know, this is one bird that is not going to be told what to do! Throughout this hilarious board book, Pigeon runs through his signature gamut of emotions while attempting to thwart his old nemesis.

The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!

Meg McLaren

This clever and engaging picture book is a delightful and witty first look at the “noir” detective genre for young readers. A pigeon private investigator emerges from retirement to track down a birdnapper with the help of his feathered friends. A cute chick reports the crime and makes herself useful enough to become a partner in the detective agency, which by the end of the book is back in business. Includes comical directions for doing detective work.

Pigeon P.I.

Dashka Slater

Terry Fan

Eric Fan

travel

boats

foxes

action and adventure

An inquisitive fox named Marco and a bored flock of pigeons join the crew of deer Captain Sylvia, setting sail in her antlered ship in search of a wonderful island and finding friendship on the way.

The Antlered Ship

bath time

pigeons

The Pigeon really needs a bath! Except, the Pigeon’s not so sure about that. Besides, he took a bath last month! Maybe. It’s going to take some serious convincing to try and get the Pigeon to take the plunge.

The Pigeon Needs a Bath!

Pigeon learns about sharing when a curious duckling keeps asking questions about the hot dog Pigeon has found.

The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!

Dimity Powell

Andrew Plant

exploration and discovery

adventure and adventurers

Pippa is a little pigeon with big blue-sky ambitions: to fly solo and explore the world beyond her nest. Her parents are less than thrilled with their risk-taking feathered fledgling and smother her with well-meant yet suffocating warnings until one day she ignores them all and takes the leap into the unknown…alone.

But how will she survive in this new uncharted territory with all its treacherous dangers and make it back home in time for tea? Join Pippa on her incredible adventure as she discovers home is where the heart is.

Pippa is a light-hearted adventure tale about striking out alone, following your dreams and desires and experiencing what it’s like when you get there. It is a tale that acknowledges the sometimes-suffocating affection parents have for their offspring, which can temper and frustrate a child’s sense of freedom and adventure, and suggests that it’s okay to take risks from time to time. Although the adventure may be perilous, it is still worth experiencing for you never know what glorious discoveries lie in ahead.

Pippa

Dhan Gopal Mukerji

Boris Artzybasheff

Writing out of his own experience as a boy in India, Dhan Gopal Mukerji tells how Gay Neck’s master sent his prized pigeon to serve in Word War I, and of how, because of his exceptional training and his brave heart, Gay Neck served his new masters heroically. Winner of the 1928 Newbery Medal.

Gay Neck: The Story of a Pigeon

Nicola Davies

Laura Carlin

In this tale of a young boy, an old man, and a dauntless pigeon, a lyrical text and extraordinary illustrations offer a gorgeous meditation on loneliness, belonging, and home.

A young Italian boy has moved to the Welsh hills with his family. He feels isolated and unhappy, a stranger in a strange land. It is only when he makes an unlikely friend, an old man who lets him fly one of his pigeons in a race, that he learns how he can belong. Nicola Davies’s beautiful story — an immigrant’s tale with powerful resonance in our troubled times — is illustrated by an artist who makes the world anew with every picture.

King of the Sky

Spending too much time staring at birds out your window? Well take another look, because what looks like an ordinary pigeon might just be saving your butt! Meet the heroic pigeons secretly flying around chasing bad guys in this hilarious illustrated series perfect for fans of BAD GUYS and DOG MAN. What do REAL PIGEONS do? They fight crime, of course! Wait, what? You didn’t know your town is protected by a secret squad of crime-fighting feathered friends? Well, you are about to get schooled. REAL PIGEONS solve mysteries! REAL PIGEONS fight bad guys! And REAL PIGEONS won’t stop until your neighborhood is safe and the questions are all answered: Like, why have all the breadcrumbs disappeared? And which food truck smells the best?

Real Pigeons Fight Crime

In Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, the pigeon dreamed of driving the titular bus. In this board book, readers will see him deliriously emoting at the thought of driving a plane, a train, a car, and more, all in his uproariously over-the-top style.

Pigeon Loves Things That Go!

Jane Kurtz

Christopher Kurtz

E.B. Lewis

Ondu-ahlem thinks of his favorite bird, Chinkay, as more than just a pigeon, and when the young Ethiopian boy sets the bird free, he learns that the pigeon represents everything that is proud, beautiful, and free.

Only a Pigeon

Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!

David Macaulay

High above the rooftops of Rome, Angelo begins his work restoring the façade of a once glorious church. As with every project, he starts his final masterpiece by clearing away the years of debris left behind by the many pigeons who nest in the nooks and crannies of Rome’s great architecture. There, among the sticks and feathers, he discovers a wounded bird. Finding no safe place to leave her, Angelo becomes the bird’s reluctant savior. As the church nears completion, Angelo begins to worry about the future of his aviary friend. “What will become of you? Where will you go . . . where will you . . . live?” he asks her. Realizing what he must do, Angelo returns to the church to add one final finishing touch. Through his artistry as a master craftsman he answers the questions about his humble friend and assures that he will not be forgotten. With his expressive illustrations, filled with detail and humor and infused with the warm, terra-cotta glow of the Mediterranean, David Macaulay will once again capture his readers’ hearts and imaginations with this poignant story of enduring friendship.

Angelo

Jorg Muhle

News reaches a pair of penguins that a great flood is coming to destroy the earth – and that they are the only two penguins who have been chosen to board Noah’s Ark. They decide, however, to smuggle their friend aboard in a suitcase, and a wild forty-day journey ensues.  This creative twist on the classic biblical tale encourages readers to ask questions about God, though it never presumes that the answers will be quick and easy. Ulrich Hub’s humorous, yet thought-provoking retelling of this well-known Bible story is complemented by Jörg Mühle’s witty illustrations.

Meet at the Ark at Eight

Jerry Spinelli

Newbery Honor Book * ALA Notable Children’s Book Deeply felt. Presents a moral question with great care and sensitivity. –The New York TimesA spellbinding story about rites of passage. –Publishers Weekly (starred review)A realistic story with the intensity of a fable. –The Horn Book (starred review)Thought-provoking. –School Library Journal (starred review)In Palmer LaRue’s hometown of Waymer, turning ten is the biggest event of a boy’s life. But for Palmer, his tenth birthday is not something to look forward to but something to dread.Then one day, a visitor appears on his windowsill, and Palmer knows that this, more than anything else, is a sign that his time is up. Somehow, he must learn how to stop being afraid and stand up for what he believes in.Wringer is an unforgettable tour de force from Newbery Medal winner Jerry Spinelli.

Wringer

Chris Raschka

From Caldecott Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Chris Raschka, this tender and fun-filled picture book celebrates unexpected friendship and city life from the perspective of pigeons! How do two friends find each other? Why choose this one, not another? Are two friends just meant to be– I for you and you for me? Two pigeons fly through the city hoping to find a friend–but where do friends come from? In this brightly illustrated love letter to cities, the fine, feathered characters discover the magical, unlikely connections that happen best in the hustle and bustle of a big city.

In the City

Leila Rudge

Gary, a grounded racing pigeon, dreams of exploring the world–until the day he falls into an adventure of his very own. Most of the time, Gary is just like the other racing pigeons, eating and sleeping and dreaming of adventure. There’s just one thing that separates him from the ordinary pigeons: he can’t fly. When his friends set off in their travel basket, Gary expects to stay at home, organizing his scrapbook of travel mementos and imagining far-off places. But when he accidentally falls into the travel basket and ends up a very long way from home, he discovers that flying might not be the only way to have adventures. Leila Rudge, in her gentle, colorful style, is sure to charm anyone who has ever felt like the odd one out with this satisfying story of perseverance and being comfortable in your own skin.

Gary

Belle Yang

A moving and uplifting tale of two children and their parents, and the beloved pet doves that help them to understand one another. “Fei, fei — fly, fly, little birds, but always come home to me!” Mei-Mei and Di-Di are head-over-heels in love with their new doves. Like devoted parents, the siblings tenderly nurture Butterfly and Squeaky as they grow from chicks to fledglings to birds. But when Mei-Mei and Di-Di arrive home to find that the doves have disappeared, their young hearts break into a thousand pieces — and they run away, determined to reclaim their beloved birds. Will Mei-Mei and Di-Di return home with the doves before they break their own parents’ hearts?.

Always Come Home to Me

Sarah Hampson

Kass Reich

Dr. Archibald Coo, an erudite big-city pigeon, is tired of the way people treat him and the other pigeons. They’re always being shooed and swatted, and they’re never admired the way the other birds are. As Dr. Coo tells his pigeon friends: ?It wasn’t always this way.? In ancient times, pigeons were known to accompany the gods. They brought news of the Olympic Games to all of ancient Greece. And more recently, they delivered messages and medicine to soldiers on battlefields. They were heroes! Surely, Dr. Coo reasons, pigeons can find a way to earn the admiration of people once again. And he’s got just the bold plan to do it.

Award-winning journalist Sarah Hampson’s picture book debut is a celebration of the diversity inherent in a big city and a lesson on how looking for the good in others is the best way to get along with them. Through her activist pigeons, she offers a child-friendly example of how to affect change, and shows how cooperation and compromise are the keys for diverse groups to harmoniously coexist — a topical subject. With soft lines and a warm palette, Kass Reich’s illustrations bring a fresh pigeon’s-eye perspective to New York’s inhabitants and cityscapes. This book could be used to spark classroom discussions on respecting differences, working out disagreements, or stepping up to counter injustice, all important subjects for the budding self-awareness and personal development of young children. It also aligns with character education lessons on self-respect, initiative and inclusiveness.

Dr. Coo and the Pigeon Protest

Kaela Noel

“An unforgettable story of friendship, love, and finding your flock.” –Erin Entrada Kelly, Newbery Medal-winning author of Hello, UniverseIn this exceptional debut, one young girl’s determination to save the flock she calls family creates a lasting impact on her community and in her heart. Gorgeous and literary, this is an unforgettable animal story about friendship, family, home, and belonging. For readers who love books by Kate DiCamillo and Katherine Applegate. Ten years ago, an impossible thing happened: a flock of pigeons picked up a human baby who had been abandoned in an empty lot and carried her, bundled in blankets, to their roof. Coo has lived her entire life on the rooftop with the pigeons who saved her. It’s the only home she’s ever known. But then a hungry hawk nearly kills Burr, the pigeon she loves most, and leaves him gravely hurt.Coo must make a perilous trip to the ground for the first time to find Tully, a retired postal worker who occasionally feeds Coo’s flock, and who can heal injured birds. Tully mends Burr’s broken wing and coaxes Coo from her isolated life. Living with Tully, Coo experiences warmth, safety, and human relationships for the first time. But just as Coo is beginning to blossom, she learns the human world is infinitely more complex?and cruel?than she could have imagined.This remarkable debut novel will captivate readers from the very first line. Coo examines the bonds that make us family, the possibilities of love, and the importance of being true to yourself. Fans of Katherine Applegate, Kate DiCamillo, and Barbara O’Connor will devour this extraordinary story. Features black-and-white spot art throughout.

Mark Chambers

In a perfect town with tidy streets, Flawless lawns and shiny seats, A pigeon swooped and looped the loop, and left behind a trail of…poop! Soon the townsfolk frowned and shook ther fists, “That pigeon should be in a cage!” they stamped and shouted, full of rage.. WILL THEY EVER CATCH THAT PESKY PIGEON?” A rollicking, rhyming tale, guaranteed to make you giggle!

Top 10 Pigeons Books