Will the Pigeon Graduate?

Pigeon #12

by Mo Willems

From #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning author and illustrator Mo Willems comes this class-ic graduation book.

The Pigeon had better graduate! He did the work! He paid attention to the little details! He overcame some BIG obstacles! The Pigeon’s got this . . . Or does he?

Do YOU think The Pigeon will graduate?

Grab your caps, don your gowns, and raise your hands for The Pigeon’s biggest adventure yet in this uplifting, hilarious, and inspirational graduation picture book from three-time Caldecott honoree Mo Willems. It’s a PhD* in fun!

(*Pigeon-y hilarious Diatribe)

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, School, Animals, Fiction, Birds

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2025

About the author

#1 New York Times Bestselling author and illustrator Mo Willems is best known for his Caldecott Honor winning picture books Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Knuffle Bunny: a cautionary tale.

In addition to such picture books as Leonardo the Terrible Monster, Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct, and Time to Pee, Mo has created the Elephant and Piggie books, a series of early readers, and published You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When it Monsoons, an annotated cartoon journal sketched during a year-long voyage around the world in 1990-91.

The New York Times Book Review called Mo “the biggest new talent to emerge thus far in the 00's."

Mo’s work books have been translated into a myriad of languages, spawned animated shorts and theatrical musical productions, and his illustrations, wire sculpture, and carved ceramics have been exhibited in galleries and museums across the nation.

Mo began his career as a writer and animator for television, garnering 6 Emmy awards for his writing on Sesame Street, creating Nickelodeon's The Off-Beats, Cartoon Network’s Sheep in the Big City and head-writing Codename: Kids Next Door.

He lives in Brooklyn, New York with his family.

Reviews

[grace mcmurray · Rating 5 out of 5]

spoiler: the pigeon did graduate🎓

[Annamarie Carlson (she, her)]

This feels like it was written as a high school/college graduation gift - the typical young audience for Pigeon books definitely won't get Pigeon's existential crisis about what comes after graduation.

[Boni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suppose the original pigeon fans are graduating from college and grad school now, so this could be for them. But kindergarten or elementary school grads will not get this. It’s a straight-up graduation gift book, like Oh The Places You’ll Go, a gift book for new adults. It’s a decent pigeon-book entry in a nostalgic kind of way, but too existential for the target picture book audience of 3-5 year olds.

[Carol Farrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It’s definitely more for older kids that are graduating at any level middle school/junior high, high school, college or tech school. The pigeon’s regular audience won’t understand this one but it does hit home.

[Fm Shipp · Rating 5 out of 5]

i would have given it 4 stars, but my 7 yr old insisted on 5.

[Whitnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10!
This dang book made me cry — did not know how much I needed to read this. ♥️

[Starr Batts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really related to The Pigeon

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well it is the season.

[Ann Haefele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story about pigeon’s anxiety of graduating and going out into the world. Probably more for older kids than the traditional preschool age of Mo Willems’ pigeon books. Destined to be a graduation gift classic.
(My favorite part was when pigeon’s name was called when it was his turn to receive his diploma. His name was listed as “Pigeon, The”.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I get the feeling this book is geared toward those who grew up with the Pigeon books, who were tiny hatchlings when the bird was having his first adventures and are now ready to take flight. Expect this in many graduation gift baskets--whether for kindergarteners or college students!

[kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, this feels like it was just published so it could be gifted for graduation presents. It’s not funny nor will little kids ‘get’ it

[Robbi C · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s cute and I feel like it will become a new fave grad gift or book parents have teahers sign to give to their kids. But, overall, it didn’t quite feel like it had the same oomph of pigeon-ness that the other pigeon books have. I think it’s because pigeon was less chaotic in this one. Could it be that pigeon is growing up?! 🥹 Perhaps. But I am very interested in the new birds seen in the back. Is it possible we may get some new adventures with new characters? I’d be down for that too! ❤️ If you like the pigeon books, you should read this one too but if you haven’t read any pigeon, don’t start with this one. 😊

[James Devore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real good one for all ages!

[alex stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this with my friends who are also graduating college this year. It brought year to my eye. Such a beautiful full circle moment for those of us who grew up with Mo Willems books every night

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the besties 💓

[Tara DuBose-Schmitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice twist

[Zahra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute! Pigeon going thru an existential crisis when graduating 😱

[Nitya Budamagunta · Rating 5 out of 5]

What the fuck

[suvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Someone on tiktok read this as a bedtime story. I was unfamiliar with Pigeon before this and existential dread after graduating was lowkey wild way to be introduced.

[Baily Shaffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

light mood reading

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dunno, kinda cute, but also seems like a cash grab.

Edit: after watching my Gr 12 students light up as they read this book to each other, I've got a more positive view of it. Nostalgia factor is high for these kids who grew up on Mo Willems books!

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pigeon is so excited to graduate, until he realizes he doesn’t know what he’s going to do next. The future is big and scary. Can he step into the unknown?

Do yourself a favor and don’t miss the fake copyright page with extra humor in it. I discovered the little nuggets Willems left in the last Pigeon book and now I always check those out. Pigeon’s fear of change and the unknown in this story is so universal, everyone from a preschooler going into Kindergarten to a PhD grad leaping into the next stage of the work world will identify with Pigeon’s anxieties, and hopefully they can laugh and learn along with this silly, hyperbolically emotive bird. My 11 and 7 year old nieces got to this before me and loved it. I read it and loved it. It has pretty universal appeal.

[Alexia M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like all the Pigeon books, but so far this one has been my favourite. Yes it's still a Pigeon book (and thus silly and lovely), but it also reminded me of his Opposites Abstract book, which strikes me more as an attempt to think of alternative points of view when it comes to life.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: Will the pigeon graduate? I had better graduate! I did the work! I paid attention to the little details. I took some BIG steps. Were there obstacles? Lots of them!

Premise/plot: The very first Pigeon book, DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS, was published in 2003. It has been over twenty-years, closer to twenty-two years, since his first release. It is certainly possible that those graduating college in recent years--grew up hearing Mo Willems' Pigeon stories. So it is more than fitting that Pigeon stars in an incredibly relatable, inspirational story that would make a GREAT gift for graduates--high school or college.

My thoughts: I LOVED this one. I think it resonates for those who a) have follow Pigeon through his many, many, many adventures b) adults (of all ages) with life experience (whether you are looking back or looking forward). The ending was so BEAUTIFUL. The story itself was humorous YET relatable. Essentially it's a book about having to adult.

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is in the same vein as 'Oh, the places you'll go by Dr. Seuss. It's about the anxieties of graduation and what comes after. I love the illustrations he used to show such things.

I'm about to go to my nieces promotion ceremony. She has finished junior high and starts high school next year. That's crazy to me. She would never read a children's book, but I think this could be helpful for her. She knows everything, so I try not to give her any advice unless it's asked for because she doesn't listen anyway.

I do love the ending of this. Take the plunge. I guess there is nothing else to do. I'm not really a Pigeon fan, but this worked really well.

The artwork looked digital. It's used well.

Fans of Pigeon will love this.

[Ina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mo Willems is a masterful author and illustrator of children's books that are filled with fun and laughter and whimsy. The illustrations in this book capture a student's struggle to graduate perfectly. Even better are the other moments captured in the illustrations - the moment of utter panic when pigeon realizes that he is jumping off a cliff into the unknown. Is pigeon ready? Storytime audiences will laugh at the illustrations and pigeon's usual drama. Older kids, will appreciate what pigeon is expressing and identify. I think this is a great gift for a graduate of any age. Don't forget to read the publication information of the first page - this book was published with "Class, pomp, and extenuating circumstances" (the Oxford comma!) and it gets funnier from there.

[Tracey Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to confess I'm a HUGE fan of Mo Willems and his Pigeon books, so this one was an instant five star read for me. My students love them just as much as I do. I first this discovered this author when his book "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" was recommended as a mentor text for my 5th grade students who were struggling with persuasive writing.

This book covers the pigeon's graduation and all the lead-up to it, the worries and fears, and then the "Now what do I do" that comes afterwards. This would be a great book to read to Kindergarten Students before their Kindergarten graduation. I realized as I was reading it that it would also make an excellent gift for the high school or college graduate to help commemorate their journey.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This perfectly encapsulates the excitement, anticipation, angst, worry, and uncertainty that many senior feel in one form or another during their last year in high school. As they feel that they stand on the precipice of a lot of unknowns, the ending of the book just made me gasp at the surprise and truth of it all. I would highly recommend this to parents and counselors of high school seniors!

Oh my, I will add this book to the list of books to read to high school seniors. Along with Seuss's Oh the Places You'll Go and my personal favorite graduation book by Melissa Kruger, Wherever You Go, I Want You to Know, this is going onto that list. The. Perfect. Graduation. Book.

[Samantha Calarusse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will the Pigeon Graduate? Spoiler alert- he may just graduate and have an existential crisis in the process. This book is just as fun and wild as all of the other pigeon stories. This book would make a perfect graduation present for a whimsical senior who is uncertain about their next steps in life. Graduation is an exciting and sometimes uncertain time in life, and that's ok. The pigeon shows us that we just need to be brave and conquer what comes next, just as we overcame all the other challenges in our lives.

Any of the other pigeon books are recommended for someone who wants a bit of funny, sarcasm.

[Laura Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute book that captures the "Hooray! Now what?" feeling that comes with graduation. I agree with the many reviews that say this book is not well-suited to the usual, young, Pigeon loving audience, but I think that can be a strength. This book is a top contender for the popular Pre K–12 "time capsule" where notes from each year are written throughout to become a significant gift down the line at graduation. I think many future grads who grew up on the Pigeon books will appreciate the blast from the past in addition to reading notes from parents, teachers, coaches, etc.