Job and the Pigeon
The ‘Job and the Pigeon’ books are a series of first readers about a quick-tempered boy and an assertive pigeon. As the books’ level of difficulty gradually increases, a tentative friendship develops between the two spirited characters and Job thinks up a rescue plan to liberate the pigeon from her long journeys. Any six-year-old will immediately identify with the story, and the book is also packed with original ideas and surprises. The hilarious discussions between Job and Pigeon, who are often in bad moods, are little gems: these two loveable but headstrong characters tease, challenge and insult each other for all they are worth.
First readers deserve a story like this, that will make them forget they are learningTrouw
De Vlieger presents her readers with a delightfully comical story using simple, mostly monosyllabic words. Yet ‘Job and the Pigeon’ provides pleasure for all ages, as do its sequels ‘Job and the Pigeon Save Chicken’ and ‘A Big Surprise for Job and Pigeon’. The advanced reader will enjoy the layer beneath the text, which often has a poetic touch. Noëlle Smit’s illustrations are irresistible: colourful, funny and clever.
So enthralling that you want to get other people to read the book - all the greater an achievement as it is written for first readersNRC Handelsblad
'Young readers who stumble their way to the end of a book deserve a reward, a story that makes them forget they’re learning. That is exactly what Evelien De Vlieger succeeds in doing in 'Job and the Pigeon', so perfectly illustrated by Noëlle Smit. With a handful of words, she brings her characters to life, creates an appealing setting and also tells a great story to boot.
Job is fed up because of his wobbly tooth, which refuses to come out, and because of all the things his mum tells him to do. Out in the back garden, Job meets a fellow sufferer. A pigeon, who may not have any teeth, but she does lose her feathers in the moulting season… And her owner also makes her do something that she’s fed up with: she has to fly home from Spain as quickly as possible so that he can win a prize.
It’s very nicely done: Pigeon puts all of Job’s unhappiness into perspective with her problems. De Vlieger’s language for early readers sounds smooth and, at times, even poetic. Literature for early readers – it’s not a concept that exists yet, but for anyone who wants to find out what it is: read the 'Job and the Pigeon' series.'
