Seven: A Most Remarkable Pigeon by Sandra Nickel and illustrator Aimée Sicuro is a story about a pigeon, their pigeon community and being yourself. Being yourself is not a new theme, however, with pigeons as the main character it helps make it fresh. This is partly because we learn pigeon behaviors and pigeons are not usually a serious character in a story. 
This fun read is due early May 2025 and I read via an online reader copy. Which I’m glad I did read before publication as I do not think I would have picked it up later. The cover, while wonderfully bright and colorful and light and eye-catching, it was not “grabbing me.” However, I had a few minutes at lunch and decided to give it a chance. We find out pigeons have two eggs, but this one nest only had one. A fact the pigeon community never lets Seven forget. You see, since he was a lone egg, and to help him have a little luck in life, his folks name him Seven (after the flight of a pigeon who once flew seven thousand miles home). And Seven feels lucky as they can smell wonderful smells float into their nest. Of course, all attempts to make Seven act like a “normal” pigeon do not go as planned. And even his parents are flustered. But in the end (like Mumble the Penguin and some dancing) Seven and their special talent help the entire flock “Be Pigeon” and find their way home.
It really is the colors that make this a new story. While, sure we have seen pastels and almost watercolor like images, they are fun. The whimsy of the details and colors brings to life the idea of smell in unique ways. You can “see” the aroma with clever swirls and use of color. The brightness of most of the illustrations counters when it gets physically dark (when it becomes foggy, dark and gloomy and the usual ways of flying do not work) and Seven saves the day. At the end there is an author note that gives you pigeon facts and shows that maybe Seven is more pigeon than the community thought!
