Only a Pigeon by Jane Kurtz and
Christopher Kurtz. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. (1997) Reading Level:
Ages 4-10. 32 pages. Simon & Schuster. ISBN: 0689800770.
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Only a Pigeon
by Jane Kurtz and Christopher Kurtz
Illustrated by E. B. Lewis
A boy in Addis Ababa, who
works hard to earn money for his family by shining shoes, spends most
of the time when he isn't working or going to school caring for his
pigeons, protecting them from the weasels and other creatures that
creep through the dark.
Only a Pigeonwas awarded the Parents' Choice Gold Award
-- the award is "a distinguished and coveted award" and a "wonderful
honor." Parents' Choice is a nonprofit consumer guide to children's
toys, books, software, video, and magazines that has been dedicated to
helping parents select great products for their children since 1978. In
1997, about 1000 publishers and companies participated in the Parents'
Choice awards competition.
When you purchase
Only a Pigeon
and Silly Mammo
at Ethiopia Reads you support the project.
Thanks.
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Only a Pigeon was one of the few picture books awarded a
Parents' Choice Gold. The reviewer wrote that the book was, "A low-key,
compelling story about an Ethiopian boy who raises homing pigeons.[The
readers] accompany the 12 or 13-year-old Ondu-ahlem as he tends his
brood, protecting them from attack by a mongoose or stray cat. His is a
circumscribed life, but we enter it willingly, sharing its perils and
triumphs. E.B. Lewis's tender watercolors transport us to Addis Ababa,
with its tin-roofed houses; and muddy streets. Both authors grew up in
Ethiopia, and the artist traveled there to assure the authentic flavor
of his pictures. The hero's name, Ondu-ahlem, means One World, and this
lovely book contributes to that still elusive goal. Read about the how
this story came to be written by reading this book's background page.
Honors/Reviews:
- Winner of the Africa Association Book for Young Readers Award, 1997
- Winner of the Parents' Choice Gold Award,
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In preparation of Jane's visit to Benton Grade School in Benton, Kansas
students learned about raising pigeons from Gary Wartick, who raises
pigeons. On the day of Jane's visit Gary was able to come too. He's
pictured here, during a school assembly, releasing a pigeon. Gary's
daughter teaches at the school.
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Classroom Connections
- The Language of Doves by Rosemary Wells with pictures
by Greg Shed (Dial) takes place in Brooklyn and Italy, yet you'll find
some interesting similarities between the children in that book and Only a Pigeon. See what things you notice.
- Another book to look at may be Under the Blood-Red Sunby
Graham Salisbury, a novel for 10-14-year-olds set in Hawaii during
World War II. Tomi, whose grandfather moved to Hawaii from Japan, helps
take care of his father's pigeons. Homing birds have often been used in
war, and after Japanese planes attack Pearl Harbor, American soldiers
won't let the pigeons live.
- Different cultures have different ideas about what things
are okay or not okay to eat. Most Ethiopians would not consider it okay
to eat a pigeon. In Salisbury's Under the Blood-Red Sun, you can find how a Japanese person might feel about that.
- Research what happened to passenger pigeons in the U.S.
- Since Fire on the Mountain and Only a Pigeon
are illustrated by E.B. Lewis, take a look at the two books together to
see what interesting things you can see. Earl Lewis met some Ethiopians
in Philadelphia and also looked at lots of pictures before he created
the art for Fire on the Mountain. But he actually went to Ethiopia before he did the art for Only a Pigeon.
- If you'd like to learn more about racing pigeons, read an issue of Racing Pigeon Digest(which
calls itself "The Thinking Man's Journal of Racing Homers"). You can;
contact Gene Yoes at Box 3088, Lake Charles, LA 70602 (318)
474-1289--or e-mail them to ask about how to get a sample copy.
- In a letter to the editor of Racing Pigeon Digest
one man wrote that pigeon racing clubs are losing members. "It is
suprising to me that we are not losing more. A large number of our
present flyers have had pigeons since they were children. How many
children have pigeons today? A very small number, indeed. What we are
doing today in our sport is equivalent to trying to organize and
operate the National Football league with people who have never played
football as children or in college, but begain playing when they were
already adults."
Any ideas why so few children today have pigeons?
- Read All the Small Poems and Fourteen Moreby
Valerie Worth with illustrations by Natalie Babbitt (Farrar), look at
the poem called "Pigeons." See if you can find something for each of
the five senses in that poem. Notice how the author uses the five
senses to make the reader experience those pigeons.
- Discuss how Jane Kurtz and Chris Kurtz use the five senses to help the reader experience their pigeons.
- Ondu-ahlem visits the markato on his way home from shining shoes--perhaps the biggest open air market in all of Africa. Look at Market!
by Ted Lewin (Lothrop) for wonderful illustrations of how markets work
on five continents. Compare and contrast the markets on different
continents to the image of the market in Ethiopia.
- Other Books to Read
Grandmother's Pigeon by Louise Erdrich, illustrated by Jim LaMarche (Hyperion).
Pigeons and Doves (A New True Book) by Jim Hargrove (Children's Press)
Pigeons (Responsible Pet Care) by Carlienne Frisch (Rourke)
Pigeons by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, photographs by William
Munoz. (Clarion, 1997) The best non-fiction title for background
information about pigeons.
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