SuitabookThe Pigeon HAS to Go to School!
Mo Willems
- Reading
- Read it before a school transition, pausing when Pigeon names a worry. Let the child respond in their own terms, then look at the illustrations together and revisit the ending afterwards.
- Themes
- Facing a new experience: Pigeon resists going to school, questions what might happen and admits that the unknown is stressful. The story presents nervousness as an understandable feeling and Pigeon’s eventual openness as a positive movement towards the new experience.
- Learning and belonging: Pigeon worries about the teacher, other birds, learning, numbers, letters and activities including books, finger paint and the playground. School is shown through both apprehension and the possibility of learning, working and playing with others; the humorous framing softens the concerns.
- Worth knowing
- Notice whether the silliness makes school worries easier to approach or instead distracts from them. The story raises concerns about teachers, other pupils, equipment and activities such as finger painting.