Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 06/01/2008 PreS-Gr 3-The incorrigible bird returns in his fourth full-length romp. This time, Pigeon voices another common childhood dream: he wants a puppy. And he wants it NOW. He even promises to take care of it: "I'll water it once a month." He argues his case so forcefully that a puppy appears, but it's more than he expects: "The teeth! The hair! That wet nose!...I mentioned the teeth, right?" So he sets his sights on a different pet. Kids will love this perfectly paced picture book, which offers both the expected (breaking the fourth wall, Pigeon's classic temper tantrum) and a new twist (Pigeon actually gets what he wants? Impossible!). Willems's hilariously expressive illustrations and engaging text are cinematic in their interplay. Maybe kids won't appreciate the genius behind it the way adults will, but that won't stop them from asking for this book again and again.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information. - Copyright 2008 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Bulletin for the Center... - 05/01/2008 Up until now, the plight of the pigeon has been the strain and disappointment of a dream deferred: he didn’t get to drive the bus, he didn’t get to eat his whole hot dog, he didn’t get to stay up late. Alas, though, our pigeon is a romantic who won’t stop wishing, and now he’s wishing for a puppy. Broad hints that indicate he has no idea what to do with a puppy (“I promise I’ll water it once a month”) will start the giggles, but this time the real humor is reserved for the pigeon’s getting what he wants instead of not getting it and realizing too late that it wasn’t what he thought it would be like at all. To the range of emotions this one-eyed pigeon has been so articulate in conveying—he’s been coy, he’s been mad, he’s been disappointed—Willems adds here wistful romantic fascination, complete with a kicked-up foot, clasped wings, and droopy eyelids, and abject fear, which nearly chases our bird off the page. The puppy seems benign enough with his friendly smile and waggy pink tongue, but his size relative to the pigeon gets the message across, and the pigeon’s transfer of dreamy affection to a wish for a walrus puts us back on more familiar ground—if you’re gonna dream, dream big enough that you are not bothered by the possibility that the dream might come true. This is another hit for our favorite blue daydream believer. KC - Copyright 2008 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

Booklist - 05/01/2008 Pigeon, the stubborn preschool impersonator last met in Don’t Let Pigeon Stay up Late (2006), returns for another encounter with an unseen adult. This time, he’s angling for a puppy, and once again his approach perfectly mirrors a child’s, from calm reassurances (“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll take care of it!”) to sulking to a full-blown tantrum: “I WANT A PUPPY! RIGHT HERE! RIGHT NOW!” Amazingly, his dream comes true, but when a big, slobbery pooch appears in the frame, the terrified Pigeon discovers that, in fact, he may not be a “puppy-loving pigeon” after all. Maybe a walrus is more his speed. Willems skillfully executes the formula that made previous Pigeon titles so popular: minimal artwork that places all the attention on the cajoling little bird, whose words and body language will strike a chord of familiarity with every child. Once again, kids will reach the story’s end wondering what Pigeon will want next. - Copyright 2008 Booklist.