Customer Reviews

DK Readers: Duckling Days (Level 1: Beginning to Read)

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

 

 

"Duckling Days," by Karen Wallace, chronicles the life of a family of ducks in a format geared towards beginning readers. The book combines a very simple text with colorful photographs. A "picture word list," consisting of vocabulary words accompanied by photographs that portray what the words stand for ("nest," "egg," etc.), is included at the end of the book.

The "river" in which the family lives looks artificial--like a zoo exhibit--but I doubt that this element will bother the young readers towards whom the book is directed. The photographs depict the ducklings hatching, taking their first steps, and swimming with their mother. And let's face it: ducklings, like most baby animals, have a built-in appeal! Overall, "Duckling Days" is a charming book with positive educational value.

Scholastic does a fine job with these Eyewitness Readers. The photo's are fantastic and books are generally chocked full of information for small fry. For example, in this book young children will be able to `really' see a duck webbed feet, how the nests are made of small twigs, and how the soft down from mama is used to lines the nest. There is also a two page section of the book that shows a duckling breaking and squeezing out of it's shell.

Great stuff. And I certainly wouldn't limit it's audience. Despite the fact that this book is listed as being appropriate for the 4 to 8 age range, I think that you could just as easily use it with older babies, toddlers and preschoolers. There is just a lot of fun content here.

Beginning reader??
Level 1 is supposed to be for preschoolers up to first graders. My kindergartener reads fairly well, but I am pretty sure that she and her friends are not all that well acquainted with words such as: gathers, hollow, downy, twitters, nibbles, branch, answer, tadpoles, pondweed, or dabble. But take a look at the pages supplied by the Amazon Look inside this book feature and judge for yourself.

Four Stars. Excellent book for children from baby on up. The pictures are simple great and offer a lot of information. In my opinion not a beginning reader, but it's not all that difficult either. (Late 1st Grade level??) Good addition for the home shelves at this price.