The pigeon renaissance - books, wind-up toys and a superb animated film

Pigeons are having a bit of a renaissance as far as I can see.

Firstly there’s the excellent series of “Don’t let the pigeon ...” children’s books by Mo Willems. Nip into your local book store and check out Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus or any of the follow-ups!

Then two plastic wind-up pigeons entered our household last weekend. Complete with waddling feet and nodding heads. Great for racing across the kitchen table.

And now to crown the pigeon merchandise and media, there’s a short animated film Pigeon Impossible, the story of “a rookie secret agent faced with a problem not covered in basic training: what to do when a curious pigeon gets inside a multi-million dollar, government-issue nuclear briefcase”. Written and directed by Lucas Martell, it took nearly five years to complete, and has been winning awards at festivals across the world.

Pigeons are obviously in season and cool.