Seven: A Most Remarkable Pigeon
by Sandra Nickel; illus. by Aimée Sicuro
Primary    Candlewick    40 pp.
4/25    9781536235197    $17.99

Typically, two nestlings are born when pigeons mate. But not this time. There’s only one egg in the clutch, producing a single squab. His parents name him Seven, a lucky name, because seven thousand miles is “the farthest any pigeon,” known for their homing behaviors, “has flown to get back home.” Drawn to the tantalizing smells around him, Seven makes solitary trips to bring back fragrant flowers to line the family’s nest, a departure from the usual twigs and straw. The other pigeons despairingly whisper about Seven’s differences: “He doesn’t nest. He doesn’t flock. And remember, there was only one.” Seven’s parents diligently work with their offspring, providing instructions in homing skills, but these lessons don’t dissuade him from his natural instincts. When the entire flock embarks on its annual ceremonial seven-hundred-mile homing journey, they are thrown off course by a dense fog that prohibits them from seeing the way. Seven, with his extraordinary sense of smell, leads them home and thus is finally celebrated rather than ridiculed. The story’s lessons—of accepting and even commending differences, and that nonconformity may be a result of being true to oneself—are clear but nondidactic. Sicuro’s soft pastel watercolor, gouache, and pen-and-ink illustrations complement the gentle tone. An author’s note provides additional information about pigeons, including theories about how they home.

From the March/April 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.