Only a Pigeon

Rating:
Summary: Simple picaresque of a life foreign to most of us
Review: This story, of a young boy awaiting the time when he can race his pigeons, glows with detail of everyday life in a world that would be foreign, both in sights and possessions, to most of the young readers to whom the book is aimed.

Rather than evoking a sense of "Oh, what a hard life," instead Ms. Kurtz tells the story of a day in this boy's life, allowing his spirit and excitement about the thing he really loves to shine through.

An enjoyable read in its own merit, Only a Pigeon is a wonderful resource for any number of curricular topics, whether it is multiculturalism, social studies or even values education. The paintings show a busy city through which this young boy must navigate, and details of life in Addis Ababa can be gleaned from Cooper's sensitive paintings, without the need to read through description or fact.