Pigeons In Art and Storytelling

I couldn’t tell you the name of most birds in the world. In fact, I know just a tiny proportion of them. But everyone knows the pigeon. Pigeons proliferate in our cities. Why? Long story short because humans brought them there, just like they brought rabbits to Australia and so on. Pigeons in cities thrive.

No surprise, then, that pigeons also proliferate across art and storytelling — and also the Internet.

Because they tend to accumulate where we don’t really want them — crapping on statues and so on, pigeons are frequently utilised in a way which suggests a swarm — or just too darn many of the things. Cats, insects and rodents are also frequently used in this way.

Arthur Getz, 1959 pigeons statue

PIGEONS IN CHILDREN’S BOOKS

COO BY KAELA NOEL (MIDDLE GRADE FICTION)

Alyssa Colman on Xitter called this book “an incredible example of FRAME OF REFERENCE. The sensory details all harken back to Coo’s upbringing on a rooftop with pigeons. Descriptions are beautifully crafted and never heavy-handed.”

“An unforgettable story of friendship, love, and finding your flock.” –Erin Entrada Kelly, Newbery Medal-winning author of Hello, Universe

In this exceptional debut, one young girl’s determination to save the flock she calls family creates a lasting impact on her community and in her heart. Gorgeous and literary, this is an unforgettable animal story about friendship, family, home, and belonging. For readers who love books by Kate DiCamillo and Katherine Applegate.

Ten years ago, an impossible thing happened: a flock of pigeons picked up a human baby who had been abandoned in an empty lot and carried her, bundled in blankets, to their roof. Coo has lived her entire life on the rooftop with the pigeons who saved her. It’s the only home she’s ever known. But then a hungry hawk nearly kills Burr, the pigeon she loves most, and leaves him gravely hurt.

Coo must make a perilous trip to the ground for the first time to find Tully, a retired postal worker who occasionally feeds Coo’s flock, and who can heal injured birds. Tully mends Burr’s broken wing and coaxes Coo from her isolated life. Living with Tully, Coo experiences warmth, safety, and human relationships for the first time. But just as Coo is beginning to blossom, she learns the human world is infinitely more complex?and cruel?than she could have imagined.

MO WILLEMS’ PIGEON

One of the most famous picture book pigeons is by Mo Willems. I analyse one of his pigeon books here. And another one here.

This pigeon is a relatable toddler who throws tantrums when he doesn’t get what he wants.

WRINGER BY JERRY SPINELLI

When boys in Palmer’s town turn 10, they are expected to become “wringers,” ending the lives of pigeons wounded in a town event. At the far edge of age nine, Palmer not only abhors the tradition, but he is also hiding a pigeon in his room, causing a moral dilemma.