Customer Reviews

Come Along, Daisy!

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Come Along, Daisy is a wonderful way to introduce the importance of staying with Mommy/Daddy when away from home. My 2 1/2 year old daughter is careful not to lose me "like Daisy got lost" when we are out. The book is also a pleasure to read...the illustrations are so cute...and the ending is always happy :)

My 15-month-old toddles over to me constantly with "Daisy" in his hand. There isn't too much text on each page for him to sit though (but it's interesting enough for me to like it) and he loves the illustrations and pointing to Daisy to say "Duck!" The lessons in the book can be learned as he gets older, so it's a good book to grow with.

I suppose, in the strictest sense of the term, that "Come Along, Daisy" could be categorized as a cautionary tale. I mean, certainly there are negative consequences for any child that refuses to heed his or her mother while traveling. Still, the book cautions without scaring. It's a remarkably tender little tale that manages to be evocative and dark without descending into morbidity. And it's just doggone sweet.

Daisy is a young duckling, still wearing her yellow feathers and trailing after her mama. While out in the swamp one day, Mama tells Daisy to heed her and to not fall behind. Daisy, however, is too distracted to listen closely to her mother. There are fish to observe and dragonflies to chase. There are lily pads to jump on (with a "bouncy, bouncy, bouncy. Bong, bong!") and frogs to observe at close proximity. Unfortunately, soon Daisy's frog hops away leaving the small helpless duckling very much alone. Things under the lily pad scare her. Things flying up in the sky scare her. And a very loud noise definitely scares her. That is, until she find out that it's just Mama Duck with her customary, "Come along, Daisy". Needless to say, Daisy learns her lesson.

This is just one of the latest in a long line of books that inform children not to get separated from their parents in public spaces. Of course, it doesn't engage in much of the way of practical advice. Mama Duck doesn't tell Daisy that if she gets lost she should stand in one place and not move. But I suppose Mama Duck is in charge of the situation the entire time in this story. In any case, this is a just a good story that tells kids to listen to their guardians when out n' about. Author Jane Simmons also doubles as an illustrator for this story, and it is here that she really stands out and shines. Simmons has a grasp of perpective and tone that just fits her story like a warm comforting glove. Painted entirely in thick beautiful paints, the book shows the slight tints of the early morning sun, the fetid marshes when Daisy is abandoned, and the eerie green cattails of an unknown swamp. Characters are rendered beautifully as well. When Daisy is happy she leaps about with toddler-like abandon. When scared, her eyes stare blankly out behind an enormous worried beak. And when she sees her mother, at long last, her entire body arches towards her, going as fast as she possibly can.

Children can handle tales of abandonment if everything turns out well in the end. "Come Along, Daisy" has the added delight of there never being a particularly dire threat to the little duckling in the first place. Even that dark image of a hawk flying above shows Mama Duck swimming placidly nearby. There is great comfort in reading about Daisy's adventures. This book is a perfect little lesson about the bond between a child and its guardian, specifically that between mother and child. A wonderful beautiful book.

These books are a pleasure to read and to look at !

This series of books are the favourite with my 9 month old daughter and me ! We have been enjoying these books for about four months now. I even recite them to my little girl when we are out walking to squeals of delight.

I have borrowed a lot of books from the library, so you could say I have done a lot of "road testing". I find the Daisy series to be in a different league to everything else. The illustrations in the Daisy series are delightful and the words are like poetry.

Daisy is a lovely little duck, winsomely illustrated... and she just can't help exploring her world. As a result, she loses track of her momma. When she discovers her loss, she becomes fearful. The author has managed to portray the isolation of the little duck and the dangers around her in a very simple but vivid way. Happily, Daisy is united with her momma after a few pages; however, enough time lapses that my 2 year old son beomes anxious about Daisy and her predictament. We cannot read the text as written and we focus on the happy reunion at the end. Even then, he goes on and on (for hours) about "Daisy stay close to momma" as he clutches my hand.

If your child does not demonstrate any separation anxiety, this book will be probably be great for him or her at any age. However, you may want to wait until your child is old enough to be comfortable with the content before you read this book (unlike us). As Jane Simmons' illustrations of this little duck are not to be missed, check out her other books if you have concerns about this one.

My 2 year old is learning that listening to Mommy is important due to the Daisy story and what happened when the duck didn't listen. He also has learned what dragonflies and butterflies are from the story. Text is open for straight reading or silly sounds.

A beautiful cautionary tale that my 30 months old son like it so much. He felt sad when Daisy was all alone. He pretended as Daisy talking with the Frog, bouncing on the bed. He showed his smiley face when mama duck appeared at the end.

When we were out, he sometimes stay close to me when I reminded him Daisy.

This is such a great book for little ones. My 3 year old has enjoyed this book for quite some time now. There is a good lesson for Daisy (and your little ones) in that she learns not to wander from Mama Duck; something little 1-3 year olds are often learning themselves. The illustrations are lovely, and draw in the reader. My daughter is very interested in how things work out for little Daisy. I have even been called "Mama Duck" from time to time when she is snuggling up close, an endearing nickname my daughter picked up from this book. Very cute.
Jane Simmons has a way of keeping her stories simple enough for the little ones, yet interesting enough for the reader to read again and again. Nice work!

My two boys, 3 years and 15 months, absolutely adore this book. In fact, The little guy saw a Daisy picture in the art section at Target and went crazy until I figured out what he wanted. So now a picture of Daisy hangs in his bedroom. It was my first clue that there was more than one Daisy book. Now we are buying them all. We read this one about ten times a day!

If your child loves "Come along Daisy" or any of the other Daisy books then they will love the stuffed animal that was inspired by the book. I love ducks and ordered the toy before I had even heard of the books. So needless to say I have all of the series and the toy looks exactly like the illustration in the book.