Unit 1 Review - The Pigeon Needs a Bath!

 

Bibliographic Information

Willems, Mo. (2014). The pigeon needs a bath! (M. Willems, Illus.) New York : Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 978-1-4231-9087-5

Plot Summary

The Pigeon is dirty and he needs a bath, but he won’t go willingly. 

Critical Analysis

In this adorable adventure about a dirty pigeon, the reader is immersed in Mo Willems’ silly world of bright color and hilarious illustrations. My daughter and I giggled our way through this story from beginning to end. The story begins with a character imploring the reader to convince the dirty pigeon that he needs a bath. Mo Willems uses vivid language and onomatopoeia to make the reader chuckle and give sound to what the character is doing. Using “scritch scritch” as the pigeon scratches his head and “fssssh” as water leaves the tap puts the reader right into the story. At one point, the pigeon asks the reader, “When was the last time YOU had a bath!?” Speaking directly to the reader adds a unique touch to the story not often seen in books. Also seen in this book are dialect bubbles which adds a really fun touch to otherwise simple language. 

Mo Willems uses bold lines and muted colored backgrounds to make his characters really pop off the page. His illustrations remind me of colored pencil or crayon, and almost look childlike with lines overlapping one another here and there. The simplicity of his illustrations makes it easy for readers young and old to follow along with the storyline and focus on the characters and their dialogue. The main character, pigeon, is extremely expressive in his facial expressions and body language making it easy for readers to relate to him. Mo Willems also makes great use of emanata, or symbolic icons or cartoon lines, to describe what his characters are feeling. For example, the squiggly line above the pigeon’s head shows his exasperation with the situation. Toward the end of the book, Willems creates an almost comic strip-like frame illustration to show the stalling tactics of the pigeon to avoid taking his bath, and then an entire two page spread dedicated to him finally jumping in the bath. He then realizes what the reader has known all along, baths are fun! 

While this is a very cute story, (with a good lesson, take a bath when you’re stinky!), the illustrations in Mo Willems’ The Pigeon Needs a Bath!, are really the star of the show. While simple and colorful, they are full of personality. They convey the emotions the pigeon is feeling, while using simple language that could be used with early readers to help them build fundamental reading skills.

Awards Won & Review Excerpt(s)

-Starred review in School Library Journal: “"Willems's hilariously expressive illustrations and engaging text are cinematic in their interplay."

-Publisher’s Weekly: “The Pigeon's cockeyed defiance and Willems's impeccable comedic timing are as fun and frisky as ever.”

Connections

*Check out other books written and illustrated by Mo Willems who shows humor, silliness, and even life lessons through his art. 

*Build upon the pigeon’s idea of needing baths to be an “opinion” and discuss facts and opinions with students. What is an opinion you have and why?