Will The Pigeon Graduate? Is Mo Willems’ Newest Pigeon Book

‘Tis the season for buying bouquets for all those end-of-year dance recitals, looking for your kid’s good “dress shoes” for their awards ceremonies, and, of course, getting all sentimental about the kids hitting a major milestone: graduation. My oldest is only finishing fifth grade this year, but I’m already amazed at how big of a step this feels, and knowing that we are already one milestone down to actual high school graduation is wild. Amidst all of the graduation books out there to gift someone hitting this big goal, might I suggest a brand new one? Because Mo Willems is back with a new pigeon book, and it’s going to get you all emotional.

Willems has been on kids’ bookshelves for over two decades now, making his brand new book his 10th in the Pigeon series. Will the Pigeon Graduate? takes everyone’s favorite bus-driving-obsessed bird and puts him right into a cap and gown for his biggest adventure yet. It’s inspiring, it’s funny, and (my favorite part) it’s going to remind every graduate of reading the original Pigeon books when they were just in elementary school. When you think about it, Willems’ first installment, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, was released in 2003. That means some of the kiddos graduating high school this year were in kindergarten, fully immersed in the Pigeon world.

My own 6-year-old is in kindergarten and has become completely obsessed with every Mo Willems Pigeon book — a series that I know is going to be a huge pillar of her childhood memories.

In this new addition to the beloved children’s book series, our favorite feathered friend is having a lot of back-and-forth thoughts. Pigeon knows they worked hard and accomplished everything, but... is that enough? Will they graduate? Is all of their work actually enough to make this huge milestone happen?

I mean, we’ve all been there. But for seniors who finally feel like they’ve hit the end of the road, this is a really meaningful story.

There’s something so sweet about gifting any graduate a childhood favorite, but when it’s a new book featuring a character they literally grew up with? Be still, my heart. Graduation can be such an emotional time — for parents, obviously, but for the kids, too. So much is changing, everything feels like it’s going so fast, and they have a lot of their own feelings and worries about their future. So a nice little nostalgia boost — along with a funny story that’s going to make them feel like they can handle anything — is always warranted.

You can find Will the Pigeon Graduate? by Mo Willems on shelves and online now.