Fold 1 First Reader
Peck, Peck, Flap!The pigeon steps. Its head stops!
The pigeon set
Six books about one animal. Each fold goes deeper than the one before, and every fact in all six comes from the same fact bank.
Watch a page grow up
One researched subject, six reading depths. Each step retains the scope of its sources. Drag the slider to read all six versions, word for word from the books, then try another fact.
Fold 2 Read Together
Hello, Pigeon!A pigeon's head is not really bobbing. It holds still as the body steps. Then it zips ahead!
Fold 3 Early Reader
Pigeons: Birds of the City LedgesA pigeon's head is not bobbing as it walks. The head stops still as the pigeon steps. Then the head zips on!
Fold 4 Explorer
Pigeons: Secrets of the City BirdA walking pigeon's head is not really bobbing. As the pigeon steps, its head holds still in the air while its body walks forward underneath. Then the head zips ahead to a new spot and holds still again. Think of a camera held steady. The world the pigeon sees stays clear.
Fold 5 Field Guide
Pigeons: A Field Guide to the City PigeonA pigeon's head isn't really bobbing. As a pigeon walks, its head holds still in the air while its body moves forward, then the head zips ahead to catch up. Holding still keeps the bird's view steady, like a camera held still.
Fold 6 Deep Dive
Pigeons, Unfolded: The Science of an Everyday BirdA pigeon's head isn't really bobbing. As a pigeon walks, its head holds still in the air while its body moves forward, then the head zips ahead to catch up, and holding still keeps the bird's view of the world steady.3
Fold 1 First Reader
Peck, Peck, Flap!Most birds scoop water and tip their heads back to swallow. A pigeon keeps its beak in the water and sips it up, like drinking through a straw, without lifting its head.
Fold 2 Read Together
Hello, Pigeon!Most birds tip their heads back to drink. A pigeon sips water up, like a straw!
Fold 3 Early Reader
Pigeons: Birds of the City LedgesMost birds tip back to drink. A pigeon sips water up, like with a straw! It does not lift its head.
Fold 4 Explorer
Pigeons: Secrets of the City BirdMost birds scoop up water, then tip their heads back so it runs down the throat. A pigeon drinks a different way. The pigeon pushes its beak into the water and sips it up, like using a straw. Strong throat muscles do the pulling. The head never lifts until the drink is done.
Fold 5 Field Guide
Pigeons: A Field Guide to the City PigeonMost birds tip their heads back to drink, but a pigeon sips water up like it is using a straw, without lifting its head.
Fold 6 Deep Dive
Pigeons, Unfolded: The Science of an Everyday BirdMost birds tip their heads back to drink, but a pigeon sips water up as if it were using a straw, without lifting its head.14
Fold 1 First Reader
Peck, Peck, Flap!Pigeon Mom and Dad have milk!
Fold 2 Read Together
Hello, Pigeon!Pigeon parents make milk for their chicks! Mom and Dad both make it in a part called the crop.
Fold 3 Early Reader
Pigeons: Birds of the City LedgesPigeon moms and dads both make milk for chicks! They make it in a pocket called the crop.
Fold 4 Explorer
Pigeons: Secrets of the City BirdPigeon parents make milk for their chicks! Both the mother and the father make it in a body part called the crop. Pigeon milk is not the same as the milk people drink. But the same kind of body signal, called a hormone, controls both.
Fold 5 Field Guide
Pigeons: A Field Guide to the City PigeonPigeon parents make milk for their chicks! Both the mother and the father make this crop milk, in a body part called the crop.
Fold 6 Deep Dive
Pigeons, Unfolded: The Science of an Everyday BirdPigeon parents make milk for their chicks. Both the mother and the father pigeon make it in a body part called the crop.25
Fold 1 First Reader
Peck, Peck, Flap!A pigeon chick stays tucked in the nest until it is almost fully grown and looks like an adult, which is one reason people hardly ever spot a baby pigeon.
Fold 2 Read Together
Hello, Pigeon!Baby pigeons stay hidden in the nest until almost grown. So people hardly ever see one!
Fold 3 Early Reader
Pigeons: Birds of the City LedgesA pigeon chick hides in its nest. It is there until it is almost big. So it is hidden until it looks like its mom!
Fold 4 Explorer
Pigeons: Secrets of the City BirdBaby pigeons, called squabs, stay tucked in the nest until they are almost fully grown. Their nests are often hidden on rooftops, in towers and in empty buildings, like a secret bedroom. When the young pigeons finally come out, they look much like adults. So people almost never spot a pigeon that looks like a baby.
Fold 5 Field Guide
Pigeons: A Field Guide to the City PigeonBaby pigeons stay tucked in the nest until they are almost fully grown. By the time a young pigeon comes out, it looks much like an adult, so people hardly ever spot one that looks like a baby.
Fold 6 Deep Dive
Pigeons, Unfolded: The Science of an Everyday BirdBaby pigeons stay tucked in the nest until they are almost fully grown, so people hardly ever spot a pigeon that looks like a baby.37
Fold 1 First Reader
Peck, Peck, Flap!Pigeons can get to the nest. They are not lost!
Fold 2 Read Together
Hello, Pigeon!Homing pigeons can find their way home from far away. They can even start from brand new places!
Fold 3 Early Reader
Pigeons: Birds of the City LedgesA homing pigeon can get home from far off. It can do it from spots it has not been.
Fold 4 Explorer
Pigeons: Secrets of the City BirdHoming pigeons can find their way home from far away, even from places they have never seen. So armies used pigeons like letter carriers, with a short note in a tiny tube on one leg. A famous story says one pigeon, Cher Ami, helped save trapped soldiers.
Fold 5 Field Guide
Pigeons: A Field Guide to the City PigeonHoming pigeons can find their way home from far away, even from places they have never been. So people used pigeons to carry messages, and a famous story says one helped save trapped soldiers.
Fold 6 Deep Dive
Pigeons, Unfolded: The Science of an Everyday BirdHoming pigeons can find their way home from far away, so people used them to carry messages, and a famous story says one pigeon helped save trapped soldiers.58
Fold 1 First Reader
Peck, Peck, Flap!In the study, park pigeons kept avoiding a person who had chased them, even after that person changed coats: the birds told the two people apart. So never chase a pigeon; sit quietly and watch.
Fold 2 Read Together
Hello, Pigeon!In the study, park pigeons kept avoiding a person who chased them. A new coat did not fool them! So never chase a pigeon.
Fold 3 Early Reader
Pigeons: Birds of the City LedgesIn the study, one person chased the pigeons. Then the pigeons kept away from that person. They did it even in a different coat!
Fold 4 Explorer
Pigeons: Secrets of the City BirdIn the study, two people fed pigeons in a city park. One person stayed calm, and the other chased the birds away. The park pigeons learned to avoid the chaser. They kept avoiding that person later, even after the two people swapped coats. The birds knew the person, not the coat. So never chase a pigeon!
Fold 5 Field Guide
Pigeons: A Field Guide to the City PigeonIn the study, park pigeons kept avoiding a person who had chased them, even when that person wore a different coat.
Fold 6 Deep Dive
Pigeons, Unfolded: The Science of an Everyday BirdIn the study, park pigeons kept avoiding a person who had chased them, even when that person wore a different coat, so never chase a pigeon.75
The fact behind it: A pigeon's "head bob" is mostly its head holding still: as the pigeon walks, its head stays still in the air while its body moves forward, then the head quickly thrusts forward to catch up. Holding still keeps the pigeon's view steady. 5 published sources
The fact behind it: Pigeons drink by sucking water up through their beaks, like using a straw, without lifting their heads; most birds instead scoop water and tip their heads back to swallow. 2 published sources
The fact behind it: Both pigeon parents, the mother and the father, make "crop milk" in their crop to feed their chicks. 4 published sources
The fact behind it: Baby pigeons stay in the nest until they are almost fully grown and look like adults, which is one reason people rarely see them. 2 published sources
The facts behind it: Homing pigeons can find their way home from far-away places they have never been before. People have used homing pigeons to carry messages. In World War I, a pigeon named Cher Ami was badly hurt but still delivered a vital message, and the famous story says it helped save trapped soldiers. 6 published sources
The fact behind it: In the study, city pigeons in a park learned to tell two people apart and kept avoiding the one who had chased them, even when the two people swapped coats. 2 published sources
Fold 1 · First Reader · Tide pool
Peck, Peck, Flap!
- Ages
- 4–6
- Trim
- 6 × 9 in
- Pages
- 24
- Words
- 108
Step, step, bob, bob? A city pigeon's head is not really bobbing: it stops while the bird steps, then zips ahead. Meet a pigeon that sips with its head low, a Mom and Dad that both make milk, a chick that hides in the nest until it is big, and pigeons that find their way to the nest. Then sit, and let a pigeon peck. A first book to read alone, with four pictured Story Words: pigeon, head, chick and peck.
Fold 2 · Read Together · Sunlit shallows
Hello, Pigeon!
- Ages
- 6–8
- Trim
- 8.5 × 8.5 in
- Pages
- 32
- Words
- 259
What is surprising about an ordinary city pigeon? Read along with Mila and Omar to meet a head that holds still, a bird that sips like a straw, parents that make milk, chicks that hide until they are almost grown and homing pigeons that find their way home. Then learn why you should never chase a pigeon. Notes at the back explain the fact behind each picture.
Fold 3 · Early Reader · Coral reef
PigeonsBirds of the City Ledges
- Ages
- 8–10
- Trim
- 6 × 9 in
- Pages
- 32
- Words
- 548
What is surprising about an ordinary city pigeon? Meet a bird whose head holds still as it walks, that sips water like a straw, whose mom and dad both make milk, and whose chicks hide until they are almost grown. Find out how homing pigeons get home and how park pigeons in a study kept away from the person who chased them. Short sentences, big pictures and six pictured words help children who are ready to read on their own. Includes a quick quiz with answers.
Fold 4 · Explorer · Kelp forest
PigeonsSecrets of the City Bird
- Ages
- 10–12
- Trim
- 8 × 10 in
- Pages
- 40
- Words
- 2,152
Why does a pigeon's head hold still while it walks? How can a bird drink like a straw, and how can a father bird make milk? Five chapters follow the city pigeon from its sea-cliff ancestors to the long trip home and the people it remembers, with Wow! boxes, questions from Mila and Omar, a quiz and a glossary.
Fold 5 · Field Guide · Open ocean
PigeonsA Field Guide to the City Pigeon
- Ages
- 12+
- Trim
- 8 × 10 in
- Pages
- 48
- Words
- 4,470
A field guide to the city pigeon, the grey bird on every ledge and square. Learn its field marks, from the shimmering neck to a head that holds still while the body walks on. Find out why both pigeon parents make milk, why baby pigeons stay out of sight, what scientists think guides a homing pigeon home, and what a park experiment showed about pigeons telling people apart.
Fold 6 · Deep Dive · The deep
Pigeons, UnfoldedThe Science of an Everyday Bird
- Ages
- 12+
- Trim
- 6 × 9 in
- Pages
- 62
- Words
- 7,558
A head that holds still while the body walks on. A drink sucked up like a straw. Milk made by both parents, and chicks that hide until they are almost grown. Follow the everyday city pigeon into the evidence: the treadmill that explained the head bob, the hormone pigeons share with mammals, the colours pigeons see and we cannot, the long argument over how homing pigeons find their way, the truth behind the Cher Ami story, and the park pigeons that remembered who chased them. Then meet the dodo, the passenger pigeon and Darwin's fancy breeds, and learn how a cliff bird came to live in every city.
First edition, 2026. Printed on demand as premium-color paperbacks; ISBNs are assigned when the books are listed. See every fact they use