PPBF: The Other Ducks

Author: Ellen Yeomans
Illustrator: Chris Sheban
Publisher: Neal Porter/Roaring Brook Press, 2018
Age: 4-7
Themes: ducks, humorous stories
Opening: This Duck and That Duck were the best of friends.

Summary: (from my library catalog) This Duck and That Duck get along swimmingly. But sometimes two ducks just aren’t enough. especially when you want to waddle in a line. On a bright sunny day, This Duck and That Duck gaze into the clear water of their pond and discover, to their surprise and delight… The Other Ducks. But what happens when the days turn cloudy and gray?

I like this book because: IT’S GORGEOUS! The characters are adorable – but the mood! The soft light of a summer sun low in the sky on a hazy day makes me feel that humid summer days of yore were not all that bad (so easy to imagine from a spot in the semi-desert!) And it’s so funny! The humor builds steadily and by the end I had laughed heartily, out loud, all by myself! I think I want to take this book everywhere I go! Fingers crossed that my 4yr old neighbor comes over very soon.

Resources/Activities: Visit a pond of course, and look for other ducks! Learn the difference between a diving duck and a dabbler; Take a series of photos with a rubber duck slightly hidden, in your house and/or your garden, and share them with friends who like to find objects hidden in pictures; Read other books about ducks: Make Way for Ducklings/Robert McCloskey, Death, Duck and the Tulip/Wolf Erlbruch, The Ugly Duckling/H.C.Andersen, The Story About Ping/Marjorie Flack; watch this video about ducks for the very young.

For more Perfect Picture Book Friday picks with teacher/parent resources, check out the list on Susanna Hill’s blog HERE.