Mo Willems Bilingual

I’m always pleased to find good children’s books that have been published in both English and French. It’s so helpful for checking any French words we don’t know, and compare the use of language.

So, I’m very grateful that Véronique recently introduced us to Mo Willems’ books! In particular, at home we have enjoyed reading the pigeon stories including, ‘The Pigeon Needs a Bath’ / ‘Le pigeon a besoin d’un bon bain’.

The pigeon is very dirty, but he refuses to take a bath, saying ‘Je n’ai pas vraiment besoin d’un bain!’ (‘I don’t really need a bath!’). But perhaps you can convince him to…

Mo Willem’s simple illustrations of the pigeon are full of character and expression, which appeals to my son. He’s also very amused by the witty humor of the pigeon’s antics, and how the pigeon addresses the reader (which actually makes the story interactive!).

We have read these over and over, and tonight, my son asked for « the French version please » which is a good sign. We had fun saying « PLOUF! » (« SPLASH! ») loudly.

About the author

Mo Willems is an American writer, animator, and creator of children’s books. You can find out more and have fun on his website http://www.mowillems.com/

More pigeon fun

As well as following Pigeon’s Tweets, you can download the Pigeon App  which features stories, drawing and more.