[BOOK REVIEW] The Pigeon Needs a Bath! by Mo Willems

Title:  The Pigeon Needs a Bath!

Author:  Mo Willems

Genre: Animals / Bath / Hygiene / Humor

Year Published: 2014

Year Read:  2014

Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children

Series:  Pigeon

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 4+ (Some Rude Behavior)

I have been reading Mo Willems’ famous “Pigeon” series for eons now and it is great that Mo Willems has now written another new book for the “Pigeon” series called “The Pigeon Needs a Bath!”  I must say that this latest installment of the fantastic “Pigeon” series is just as brilliant as its previous installments!

The bus driver comes back in this book to tell the readers that the Pigeon needs a bath.  The pigeon refuses to take a bath, even though he is extremely filthy and he keeps trying to convince the readers that he does not need a bath.

Will the Pigeon take a bath?

Read this book to find out!

 

I am going to say what I have been saying about Mo Willems’ work with the “Pigeon” series for the whole time and that is:

FANTASTIC!

I have always loved the way that Mo Willems comes up with new ideas for the “Pigeon” series, such as whether or not the Pigeon should drive the bus or making sure that the Pigeon does not stay up too late.  It was great seeing a new book centered on the Pigeon dealing with a new subject which in this case is taking a bath!  I loved the way that the Pigeon tried to convince the readers that he does not need a bath as it was hilarious seeing the Pigeon trying to deny this fact even though there are so many clues that implies he needs a bath, such as the numerous flies swarming around him.  I really enjoyed Mo Willems’ artwork as it is cute and hilarious as usual and I really loved the images of the Pigeon looking dirty as he has brown smudges all over his body.   It was hilarious seeing the flies swarm around him because of his bad smell and it was made funnier when even the flies complained about the Pigeon’s bad hygiene!  It was also creative in seeing the background colors of each page being colored in brown as it really signified the situation that the Pigeon is in, in regards to his bad hygiene.

Overall, “The Pigeon Needs a Bath!” is a truly fantastic continuation of the “Pigeon” series and anyone who is a huge fan of the “Pigeon” series and who has a child or younger sibling who refuses to take a bath, will definitely get a kick out of this book!

[BOOK REVIEW] Black Cat: Dear Friend Volume 13 by Kentaro Yabuki

Title:  Black Cat:  Dear Friend Volume 13


Author:  Kentaro Yabuki


Genre: Action / Adventure / Comedy / Crime


Year Published: 2008


Year Read: 2014


Series: Black Cat #13


Publisher: VIZ Media


Source:  Library


Content Rating:  Ages 14+ (Gory Violence)


Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

After reading the twelfth volume of “Black Cat,” I just had to pick up the thirteenth volume called “Black Cat Volume 13: Dear Friend” and find out just how Creed manage to kill Train’s friend Saya and how Train started hating Creed for this vicious act.  Now, I finally find out the history between Saya, Creed and Train in the volume that revealed everything about Train’s past!

After the events in the previous volume, Train, Eve and Sven decided once and for all that Creed must be defeated before he hurts anymore people.  It was then that Sven urged Train to explain about why he left the Chronos Numbers and why he hates Creed so much.  Train then explains to Sven and Eve that he was good friends with a woman named Saya Minatsuki and that she was the one that convinced Train that he should follow his own path and leaves the Chronos numbers behind.  Unfortunately, the Chronos numbers start to notice Train’s strange behavior and they ended up confining him for ten days due to his reckless behavior being a danger to Chronos.  Meanwhile, Creed who has also noticed the change in Train’s nature, found out that Saya had something to do with the change and he decides to kill Saya!

This volume was awesome as it really explained about Train’s past history with Saya and how his relationship with Saya had ended in tragedy.  Kentaro Yabuki did a brilliant job at portraying Train’s feelings towards Saya and the scene where he realized that Creed had killed her was a truly shocking and depressing scene as it was nice seeing Train make friends with someone outside of Chronos, only to lose her in a matter of seconds.  It was also interesting and frightening in seeing Creed’s infatuation with Train, even though we still do not have a clear explanation about why Creed is so obsessed with Train in the first place.  I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat when I saw the scene where Creed was chasing Saya through the streets, determined to kill her as it made his character even more frightening than ever before!  Kentaro Yabuki’s artwork is as usual, dazzling to look at as the characters’ facial expressions during any kind of situation really came to life and I also loved the way that the characters’ hair styles reflect their emotions during each scene such as sticking out whenever they are shocked or angry.

For those of you who do not like bloody violence, this volume does contain some violence, especially regarding Saya’s death.  The fact alone that Saya was stalked by Creed in the middle of the night might disturb some people who also fear about being stalked by a stranger in the middle of the night.

Overall, “Black Cat: Volume 13: Dear Friend” is a fantastic volume that really explains Train’s back story and his history with Saya that fans of the “Black Cat” series will enjoy for many years!

[BOOK REVIEW] Black Cat: The New Weapon Volume 12 by Kentaro Yabuki

Title:  Black Cat:  The New Weapon Volume 12


Author: Kentaro Yabuki

Genre: Action / Adventure / Comedy / Crime


Year Published: 2007


Year Read: 2014


Series: Black Cat #12


Publisher: VIZ Media


Source:  Library


Content Rating:  Ages 13+ (Violence and Some Threatening Situations)


Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

Man, I have loved Kentaro Yabuki’s “Black Cat” series ever since I picked up the first volume and this series just continues to get better and better with each passing volume!  “Black Cat Volume 12: the New Weapon” is no exception to this as we finally learn more about Dr. Tearju and her relationship with her creation, Eve!

 In order to change Train from his child form to his normal adult form, Train, Sven and Eve travel to find Dr. Tearju, who might be the only person who knows how to change Train back to normal due to her formally working on nanotechnology for Torneo in the past.  Also, it turns out that Dr. Tearju was responsible for creating Eve and this may lead to Eve finding out more about her creation.  Unfortunately, the Apostles of the Stars started attacking Sven, Eve and Dr. Tearju in order to force Dr. Tearju to join their team and create more nanotechnology for them.

Will the Apostles of the Stars finally get Dr. Tearju and will Train change back to normal?

 Wow! This volume was just as exciting and interesting as the previous volume!  I loved the way that Kentaro Yabuki explored Dr. Tearju’s character as I have been wondering ever since I read the first volume about Eve’s creator and what she was like as a character.  I like the fact that Dr. Tearju is a kindhearted character who was willing to help Train through his predicament and it was also interesting in seeing her relationship with Eve.  I also loved the side story about Kyoko trying to redeem herself in the eyes of Chronos since it showed how much her character is progressing and it would be interesting to see what direction Kentaro Yabuki will take Kyoko in the next few volumes.  Kentaro Yabuki’s artwork is as usual spectacular as the characters look realistic yet cute and I have always admired the way that Kentaro Yabuki drew their facial expressions as they really capture the emotions that the characters feel during certain situations such as showing fear when the Apostles of the Stars shows up and happiness when they reunited with each other.

 Even though this volume is not as violent as the previous volumes, there are some intense moments in this volume such as the Apostles of the Stars trying to kidnap Dr. Tearju and threatening to kill Eve and Sven.  These moments might worry some readers who do not like the idea about a beloved character getting threatened with death or the fact that some vicious strangers invade your house in the middle of the night.

Overall, “Black Cat Volume 12: The New Weapon” is a brilliant volume that really explored Eve’s back story while providing a satisfying conclusion to Train’s story arc of being trapped in a smaller body.