Coo

Coo’s journey covers only a few city blocks but is long in emotional impact. At age 11, she enters the world of humans for the first time, having been raised by pigeons on a roof. A second, longer journey follows but to define it would spoil the surprise. The human-animal communication in the story will be considered fantastical by some, but others will believe it entirely possible that a child who has only known pigeons would speak their language. Coo touched my heart and gave me a new appreciation for these oft-maligned birds!

This is a beautiful and charming middle grade novel about a girl who is raised by a flock of pigeons in the city. Coo is a magical book and it has a special place in my heart. As an adoptee, I often felt out of place and puzzled by the world. I wondered where I had come from, and how I’d ended up where I was. I related to Coo’s journey into the world of people and her love for her flock. 

A flock of pigeons rescues an abandoned baby girl and raises her. How can you not love a story that begins like this? Coo is the abandoned girl who grows up with no human contact in an abandoned rooftop rookery with her pigeon family, learning to speak Pigeon. It’s not an easy life but she’s surrounded by love. When she's discovered and brought back to civilization, she learns about human warmth and friendship for the first time, but also a dangerous plot against the pigeons in the city. Coo must marshal her resources to save her beloved pigeons while navigating… show more.