Review by New York Times Review
Grown-ups never quite get that people are different and that you don't have to be like someone to like them. So imagine how preschoolers feel. "Jasper & Joop" is the most recent of Dunrea's pint-size web-footed adventures. Just as some children love splashing in puddles while others couldn't fathom anything less appealing, two goslings, Jasper (the tidy one) and Joop (messy), frolic in different ways but with mutual appreciation. When a swarm of bees poses a threat to their day's merriment, they flee together. Even very different friends stick together in times of need. BUSY-BUSY LITTLE CHICK By Janice N. Harrington. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. 32 pp. Farrar, Straus & Giroux. $15.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Based on a Central African fable, "The Hen's House," this story has strong roots in the oral tradition. "Chilly-cold" chicks complain with little peo-peo-peos, and Mama N soso steps with a cwa-cwa-cwa and clucks prucfe.' pruck! Every night Mama tells her chicks they'll build an ilombe, a new house, the next day. But while she gets distracted by tasty worms and crickets (Mama is the first little pig), Busy-Busy Chick works. Pinkney's animated chickens, scurrying and fluttering in great swaths of marigold and orange, impart abundant joy. BLUEBIRD Written and illustrated by Bob Staake. 40 pp. Schwartz & Wade. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Few picture books capture the somber hues of loneliness and introspection as stunningly as Staake does in this aptly wordless tale of a boy and a bird. Staake, a New Yorker cartoonist and creator of "The Red Lemon," a New York Times Best Illustrated Book, has drawn a book of true beauty. A young boy is bullied, and while the teacher is oblivious, a bluebird sees all. He sings a merry tune. He plays fly-and-seek. He befriends the boy, then he finds the boy new friends. All this plays out in a New York City landscape of melancholy grays and sky blue, and an unexpected, but welcome, flutter of violet. A rainbow of colors descends in the final pages for an enchanted, bittersweet ending. LUCKY DUCKLINGS By Eva Moore. Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. 32 pp. Orchard Books. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 5 to 7) "Lucky Ducklings" is one of those childhood staples, a happy duck family tale. This deserving heir to Robert McCloskey, updated in a golden wash of watercolor and with a true rescue story as inspiration, stars Mama Duck, Pippin, Bippin, Tippin, Dippin "and last of all . . . Little Joe." One day, the family heads out of the park and into town for a walk when one by one, the babies fall through the cracks of a storm drain. Help! Luckily, firefighters don't just rescue cats in trees. An unabashedly adorable caper, this crowd-pleaser already feels like a classic. ODD DUCK By Cecil Castellucci. Illustrated by Sara Varon. 96 pp. First Second Books. $15.99. (Graphic novel; ages 6 to 10) What makes for a good old ordinary duck? Is it eating "everyday duck pellets"? Checking out "A History of Good Ducks" from the library? Theodora thinks so, and she is set in her ways. Then a new duck moves in next door. Chad has "all kinds of gadgets and sculptures that were both modern and strange." He has mismatched feathers - askew. He scratches these feathers with a fork. He and Theodora will not be friends. Or will they? Castellucci's story about accepting differences brims with appealingly quirky touches, and Varon's panels are funny and fresh in this all-too-rare and very fine example of the early-reader graphic novel. PAMELA PAUL ONLINE A slide show of this week's illustrated books at nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [April 14, 2013]
Review by Booklist Review
Make way for these lucky ducks. After swimming to shore and finding a bite to eat in the park, Mama Duck and her five ducklings Pippin, Bippin, Tippin, Dippin, and Little Joe walk to town. But Mama Duck is the only one to make it across the road, as, one by one, the ducklings slip through the openings of the storm drain. Amid Mama Duck's anxious quacking, three firemen and a quick-thinking resident with a pickup truck and a roll of cable manage to lift the grate and retrieve the ducklings from the storm drain. Based on an actual event in Montauk, New York, the heartwarming tale features delightfully fuzzy illustrations, some from the ducklings' perspective, which highlight the concern and relief of townsfolk and Mama Duck alike. The refrain of Oh dear! That could have been the end of the story. But it wasn't because . . . encourages participation from young listeners. Pairing with Robert McCloskey's Caldecott-winning Make Way for Ducklings (1941) is a must.--Leeper, Angela Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Carpenter's warm, retro spreads salute McCloskey in what might turn out to be this generation's duckling rescue story. Seeing public officials put civic machinery to work to save baby animals is every bit as charming today as it was 70 years ago. "Help!" cries a woman who sees five pint-size ducklings follow their mother across a storm drain and disappear through the grate one by one. "Call the fire department!" Carpenter (Heroes of the Surf) supplies a ducklings'-eye view of their wait in the darkness as curious faces stare down at them. The firefighters can't budge the drain cover, but a truck driver named Perry drags it off so they can free "Pippin, Bippin, Tippin, Dippin... and last of all, Little Joe," who await their mother in a handy bucket of water. The rescue depicted actually took place on Long Island in 2000; Moore enlivens the account with engaging narrative devices, repeating the duckling's rhyming names and punctuating the story with "Oh, dear! That could have been the end of the story. But it wasn't." It's worthy of its predecessor, and a welcome sequel of sorts. Ages 5-7. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2The is the true account of a duckling excursion that could have ended sadly, but instead developes into an enchanting rescue adventure involving the residents and firefighters of Montauk, New York. Mama Duck ventures out of the duck pond to explore the town with Pippin, Bippin, Tippin, Dippin, and Little Joe trailing behind her. When Mama decides to cross the street, each duckling in turn tumbles into a deep storm drain. Townspeople and firemen collaborate in the varied efforts to save Mama's brood and the tale eventually concludes happily. Nancy Carpenter's beautifully evocative illustrations are complemented by Tavia Gilbert's accomplished reading which skillfully conveys every emotion in succession, including the delight, alarm, tension, and final relief contained in the tale. Flawlessly integrated sound effects such as quacks, splashes, sirens, and gasps will delight listeners of all ages. Lucky Ducklings will remind listeners of Robert McClosky's classic Make Way for Ducklings. These stories are naturals to read together and compare and contrast through class discussion. Track one contains page-turn signals, track two does not.Rebecca James, formerly with Nashville Public Library, TN (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
When Mama Duck takes her five ducklings for a walk from the park into a nearby town, she passes easily over the grate of a storm sewer, but each of the five ducklings trailing behind her falls, one by one, through the grate. Three firefighters and a bystander with a pickup truck and cable work together to remove the grate and rescue the ducklings, and the brood continues on its way. Realistic charcoal illustrations show the drama as it unfolds from many different perspectives, including that of the ducklings in the storm sewer, looking up at the worried faces looking down at them through the grate. Moore's expert use of pattern and repetition as she names each of the ducklings ("Right behind came Pippin, Bippin, Tippin, Dippin, and last of allLittle Joe") is nicely echoed in individual illustrated vignettes and will make this a good choice for reading aloud. Even though the story is based on a true event that happened in Montauk, New York, in 2000, the book overall has an old-fashioned feeling. That may have something to do with another classic picture book about a mother duck leading her offspring through city traffic with the assistance of men in uniform. Certainly there is room for both, and this one has the added thrill of the storm sewer adventure. kathleen t. horning (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Based on events that occurred in Montauk, N.Y., in 2000, this title begins when Mama and her five little ducks go for a walk. A surprising fall leads to a dramatic rescue and this endearing story that's sure to warm hearts for years to come. Moore chooses straightforward, rhythmic language that engages young readers. "Mama Duck swam to shore. She hopped out onto the grass. Right behind her came Pippin, Bippin, Tippin, Dippinand last of allLittle Joe." The family walks through the park, stops for "a bite to eat" and goes on their way. When Mama crosses a storm drain, her little ones follow. Unfortunately the slats in the drain are quite wide, and each duckling falls in. "That could have been the end of the story. But it wasn't, because" each time all seems lost for the ducklings, a concerned citizen becomes involved in a step that leads to their eventual rescue. Carpenter uses charcoal and digital media to create illustrations that have a distinctly retro appeal that enhances this classic-feeling tale. From the ducklings'-eye view of alarmed people peering through the grate to the traffic-stopping moment when Mama and her babies are reunited, young ones will be enticed by the events on every page. Although inevitably and consciously reminiscent of Make Way for Ducklings, this book impresses all on its own with its fine design, compelling story, expressive images and gentle environmental message. (Picture book. 4-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
