Sarah Hampson

This appears to be a child's picture book, but I feel it is more relevant to middle grades and those learning about democracy, social justice, respect for differences etc. Dr. Coo is a rather smart pigeon. Each day, he and his friends meet on the wires or buildings to visit. When a young pigeon, Hootie Claw speaks up about the lack of respect pigeons receive, the others agree. Dr. Coo talks about how pigeons used to be respected and revered and the others want to know what they can do to bring this back. A peaceful protest, a request explaining what they want and a happy ending finish up the story. It is a simple way to outline some important issues facing the world today and ways to deal with them. A teacher could use this text to introduce some important topics, but again, I believe this book would work best with students from grade 5 to 8. It could be used to spark classroom discussions on respecting differences, working out disagreements, or stepping up to counter injustice, all important subjects for the budding self-awareness and personal development of young children. It also aligns with character education. A nice addition to school and classroom libraries. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.… (altro)