Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Today was an exciting day for my girls. We pre-ordered The Pigeon Needs a Bath, and today, our copy finally arrived! My twins are almost 5, and my oldest girl is almost 7. They are big fans of Mo Willems, and they absolutely loved this new book. The Pigeon has visible stink waves emanating from his body, yet he insists that he doesn't need a bath. He turns the situation around, and asks the reader, "When was the last time YOU had a bath?" You would think that the situation would be resolved with the Pigeon approaching the bathtub, but he has more complaints. Willems really outdoes himself with 29 panels spread across two pages. The Pigeon has a litany of complaints: the bath is too hot, it's too cold, there are too many toys, there aren't enough toys. The suspense builds, as the reader wonders if the Pigeon will ever make it into the bathtub! Willems might have a simple style of drawing, but he certainly gives that Pigeon a full range of emotions and body language. My girls giggled and laughed through the entire book, and they have also enjoyed looking through it on their own. I appreciate the sophisticated vocabulary- what better way to teach phrases like "purely coincidental" and "a matter of opinion" than a sassy cartoon Pigeon? This was a big hit at my house!