Will the Pigeon Graduate? - Mo Willems

Dad

19 Mar 2026 — 1 min read

Rating: 1/10

Sorry, but this just sucks. I still enjoy the art in a way, and the pacing is fine, but there's just nothing here. The art can't carry a book like this. Who is this for? There's no story, no real whimsy or fun, just this sort of tedious thing that drags on about will the pigeon graduate (yes, apparently he did all the work or whatever - what work it is never comes up) and what will he do next (this is basically unresolved, possibly because he is a pigeon). Nothing actually happens. What it seems like most of all is the fulfillment of a contractual obligation, like when a musician comes out with an absolute crap phoning-it-in album in order to finish up their contract with a record label they've come to despise.

The Runaway Bunny - Margaret Wise Brown

Rating: 9/10 I like this book a lot! The story is great fun, I love the little escalations and one-uppings. And a nice little ending. The art is definitely something special, find the bunny on every page.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See? - Eric Carle

Rating: 7/10 Ah, you know, this one doesn't really do it for me. I do enjoy the art quite a lot, and the "plot twist" at the end is amusing enough, especially since I'd totally forgotten it in the 30-ish years since I

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie - Laura Joffe Numeroff

Rating: 8/10 Well, I love a lot about this. The story is fun, I am a fan and I liked the ending. There's a good amount of of whimsy and silliness in it, and it's well complemented by the art - it's nothing

Frederick - Leo Lionni

Rating: 9/10 First, shout-out to the art: I love these pictures. They're beautiful and evocative and everything I want from my children's book art. Just a delight to drink it all in as you read the story. The story is solid too, it's

Read more

The Runaway Bunny - Margaret Wise Brown

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See? - Eric Carle

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie - Laura Joffe Numeroff

Frederick - Leo Lionni