Little Quack, by Laura Thompson, illustrations by Derek Anderson
Other books by Thompson: The entire Little Quack series, as well as the Mouse’s First… series
Summary: Mama Duck decides it’s time for her five little ducks to leave the nest and learn to swim. Though all are initially reluctant, each one bravely takes the plunge and is proud at their achievement. Little Quack remains last, struggling to overcome his fear, while in the end, making the biggest splash.
Underlying Lessons: Don’t let your fears keep you from trying your best.
Pluses:
1) Vibrant pictures and board book form make this a great book for little ones who are not ready for the overriding message.
2) The moral, literary devices, cause and effect examples, and math reinforcement all make this book appropriate for a very wide age range.
3) The Mother Duck models positive reinforcement in her constant chorus of, “You can do it, I know you can!”
4) All the ducks look different, take a different approach, and are rewarded equally
5) Great opportunity to reinforce counting
6) Fun use of onomatopoeia (words that sound like their sounds)
7) The book also comes in plastic form: great for the tub/ “pond”, or chewable for the teethers
Minuses:
1) Not earth shattering creativity…you get what you expect.
Overall Rating: Three Sippy Cups
Rating Scale:
Four Sippy Cups: The Pulitzer of Childrens Literature: a classic work (or soon to be)
Three Sippy Cups: Better Than Most and good enough that you still won’t mind reading for the 236th time.
Two Sippy Cups: Fair enough to keep on the bookshelf, but no love lost if the pages get ripped, the binding gets chewed, or some lovely drool dampens the pages
One Sippy Cup: Consider it the newest addition to the diaper genie
No Cups: The only argument I’ve found in favor of book burning
Other books by Thompson: The entire Little Quack series, as well as the Mouse’s First… series
Summary: Mama Duck decides it’s time for her five little ducks to leave the nest and learn to swim. Though all are initially reluctant, each one bravely takes the plunge and is proud at their achievement. Little Quack remains last, struggling to overcome his fear, while in the end, making the biggest splash.
Underlying Lessons: Don’t let your fears keep you from trying your best.
Pluses:
1) Vibrant pictures and board book form make this a great book for little ones who are not ready for the overriding message.
2) The moral, literary devices, cause and effect examples, and math reinforcement all make this book appropriate for a very wide age range.
3) The Mother Duck models positive reinforcement in her constant chorus of, “You can do it, I know you can!”
4) All the ducks look different, take a different approach, and are rewarded equally
5) Great opportunity to reinforce counting
6) Fun use of onomatopoeia (words that sound like their sounds)
7) The book also comes in plastic form: great for the tub/ “pond”, or chewable for the teethers
Minuses:
1) Not earth shattering creativity…you get what you expect.
Overall Rating: Three Sippy Cups
Rating Scale:
Four Sippy Cups: The Pulitzer of Childrens Literature: a classic work (or soon to be)
Three Sippy Cups: Better Than Most and good enough that you still won’t mind reading for the 236th time.
Two Sippy Cups: Fair enough to keep on the bookshelf, but no love lost if the pages get ripped, the binding gets chewed, or some lovely drool dampens the pages
One Sippy Cup: Consider it the newest addition to the diaper genie
No Cups: The only argument I’ve found in favor of book burning
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