Real Pigeons Fight Crime

Gr 2-5–A goofy tale of cartoon pigeons that fight crime. Rock lives a simple farm life–he has perfected the art of disguising himself and then jumping out to surprise his friends. No one is very impressed until one day, when an old pigeon called Grandpouter encourages Rock to join up with his crime-fighting pigeon squad. Along with Tumbler, Frillback, and “Homey” (the homing pigeon), Rock and Grandpouter embark on three crime-stopping missions. Each section of this high interest title contains chapters that unfold mysteries with complex and silly twists, including; the “Missing Bread Crumbs,” the “Bat Trapper,” and the grand finale that ties everything together: “Danger at the Food Truck Fair.” The villains have benign motivations, and each bad guy is revealed to be a different species of flying animal. Wood’s black-and-white sketches enhance the humor, and McDonald’s puns will offer kids and parents alike a chuckle. Readers have the opportunity to learn “real” facts about “real” pigeons; rock, tumbler, frillback, and pouter pigeon traits are explained at the end. A fun readalike with Aaron Blabey’s “Bad Guys” series or Cyndi Marko’s “Kung Pow Chicken.”