13th June Pigeon Appreciation Day

Really, it is very hard to appreciate pigeons! But, they are extremely popular at school, both in the playground and in the library. There are two pigeons which seem to be almost permanent fixtures in the playground and the children have named them Dave and Gary. As the school teacher librarian this really makes me smile, because this means that something has got through in library.  Gary by Leila Rudge was read to every child in the school when it was on the shortlist for Book Week. In this story Gary is the pigeon who is the odd one out in his roost because he cannot fly. He is a failed homing pigeon. Dave comes from a very popular series of chapter books with the title Dave the Pigeon... by Swapna Haddow. In fact, they are not the only popular pigeons in the library. Of course Mo Willems' Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus  series is popular. As is Andrew McDonald and Ben Wood's series Real Pigeons  and there's some stand alone titles that 'walk out the door'.

• How to Be Famous by Michel Shalev
• Pigeon P. I. by Meg McLaren
• Pigeon Pie Oh My! by Debbie Singleton
• Keith Among the Pigeons by Katie Brosnan

This article on the history of the pigeon gives great insight into why they have been around so long  why they have been used during wars and why we should look past the vermin or pest labels.
Their contribution to history as homing birds and messenger bearers has been well-documented in children's books.
See:
• Pigeon Hero  by Shirley Raye Redmond
• Flapper VC  by Mark Wilson
• Fly Cher Ami, Fly! by Robert Burleigh
• Lofty's Mission by Krista Bell and David Miller

There are other titles listed on this Pinterest page...more than enough titles for a great display!