BOOK REVIEWS
The Pigeon Express is a wonderful kids book written by a great poet and a wonderful illustrator.
Kids books are short, so it's hard to review without giving somethings away, but it was great how Clearwater took a real event in life and made it into her story, which is now accessible to children everywhere. Some of the greatest stories come from our own experiences, and Clearwater turned one of hers into a great children's story.
It was a ton of fun reading this to my kids, and being able to explain what the Underground was and what "Mind The Gap" meant, them having never been to London before. The illustrations though, really bring her story to life. It was perfectly illustrated and the artist did a wonderful job.
A great kids book for anyone, anywhere from a wonderful illustrator and a great poet from New Zealand.
Joe Boettcher - Goodreads - 11 November 2015
People move over, pigeons are boarding!
As an unnamed woman rides the London Underground, she recounts the time she saw a pigeon get on board. The bird, dressed in a salary man's clothes, barely kept his balance, but otherwise enjoyed the ride, eating some crumbs before getting off at his destination. At this point, the woman's imagination takes flight as she pictures a scenario where pigeons get schooled in subway travel. She wonders if they take it for its speed, and for the convenience of staying out of poor weather like humans do. As she leaves, she sees one more noteworthy sight that puts a smile on her face, and on ours. Overall, the story and its simple rhyme are delightful, however, the flow is thrown off by a constantly changing rhythm. Readers experience slight pauses as they try to orient themselves.
The art too has a rather charming and fun appeal; seeing people sitting next to pigeons, doing something so practical and mundane, is very amusing. While humour lies in the story itself, it is this colourful, cell shaded, cartoon style that showcases it. Individual feathers, signs, and reflections, are just a few of the extra touches the artist adds.
Clearwater's peculiar experience on the London Express makes for a great picture book, and despite the flow issue, children will enjoy this funny thought experiment.
Rachel - Goodreads - 10 November 2015
This book was adorable! Eye-catching, colorful illustrations, easy to read story, funny, and I think kids will love it because next time they ride a train, they will find themselves looking if there's a pigeon around. ( I confess I did, lol!)
Rossy - Goodreads - 29 October 2015
The setting is London, England aboard a subway train:"As I was going down to Greenwich on the Underground,the train doors opened at London Bridge Station...but there was no one around!" What an interesting opening to invite you into the story!
A young female passenger looked all around and finally found the reason for the doors opening. A pigeon nonchalantly climbed aboard, dressed in fancy work gear, brazenly looked her straight in the eye, braced his feet, and they were off. He had trouble adjusting to the motion as the train sped up. Luckily he found some crumbs on the floor and pecked them clean alleviating his awkwardness. He exited at Canary Wharf station and just vanished... poof... oh my!! Where could that little fellow have vaporized to? The girl looked all around but could not find a trace of him. Yes he did indeed just disappear into thin air. The girl had time to reflect on what she had witnessed as she still had some time left to travel. She thought and thought of explanations of why this pigeon would want to use the train system rather than fly like normal pigeons do. Did they go to school and take the class, "Train Riding 101" so they would be savvy train travellers she mused? What were the pros and cons of hitching a ride on the train as opposed to flying under their own wing-power? Mmmmmm....could they read and interpret the London Underground map to help them accurately find their destinations? Wonder if they knew what , "Mind the Gap" meant? That made her giggle to even think about.
Well she saw what she saw. It was strange, so strange that she wrote this book about it and we are glad that she did.
The illustrations are colourful and bold. Kids will love the expressions and antics of the pigeon as he weathers his ride in the notorious London Underground. It is written in rhyme which all kids love. Playful language will hook your kids right from the get-go.
The author challenges you at the end of the story to keep a watchful eye out for random pigeons, as they just might become the new passengers to ride the Pigeon Express Train in the future. Maybe pigeons are smarter than we think. I bet they are. What do you think?
Marilyn - Goodreads - 26 October 2015