Customer Reviews

Little Quack

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Mama Duck had five little ducklings, Widdle, Waddle, Piddle, Puddle, and Little Quack. They all lived together in a nice, soft nest. But even Mama's littlest duckling was not so little anymore. "It's time to leave the nest," she said one day..." And that means it's time to learn to swim and take that first dip in the pond. All the little ducklings are very anxious, especially Little Quack. But one by one, with a lot of encouragement from Mama, they conquer their fear and take the plunge..... Lauren Thompson's simple, repetitive text is engaging and begs to be read aloud and shared. But it's Derek Anderson's exuberant and playful illustrations that really make this picture book a stand-out. Each large, dazzling spread is filled with bold color, marvelous facial expressions, eye-catching detail, and lots of humor, that makes this a perfect selection for story time. An inventive Quack-U-Lator running along the bottom of each page introduces counting and addition, and just adds to the fun. Little Quack is a delightful, interactive, preschool crowd pleaser that's sure to become an often requested, instant favorite both at school and at home.

We discovered the Little Quack books out of order. As such, the bar was already set high with Little Quack's New Friend. The original, in comparison, seems a bit monotonous, just like Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.

This does have merit: not only for Derek Anderson's adorable art, but for teaching counting (1 to 5 with the "Quack-U-Lator"). Some parents may also find it useful for kids afraid to try swimming (or any new thing, for that matter).

Lauren Thompson's duck debut is for many parents an obvious purchase, sort of a modern bookend equivalent to Make Way for Ducklings. Still, we prefer Little Quack's New Friend, which offers not only a sequential story arc but a great message to boot.

First Scholastic Printing edition, March 2004

I absolutely adore this book as does my 3 yr old son. It's repeatitve text, as we go thru each ducklings initiation into the pond, helps my son feel like he can actually read to ME this inspiring story. I never tire of reading it to him or him to me. The illustrations were what caught my eye at first in the bookstore. Then I browsed the book and knew I had a hit. The illustrations never cease to convey what Little Quack is feeling. Even my 9yr old son enjoyed reading it to his little quack brother! I'm here now to look at other L. Thompson books.

My son loves this book. I started to read this with him at 7 months old. I bought it at a school book fair while pregnant with him. His face lights up when I read it to him. The duckulator is a wonderful way for kids to learn adding. I had bought it in soft cover. I recommend the board book for babies. He enjoyed the book so much I bought an extra copy for him in a board book so he wouldn't rip it.

With characters named Widdle, Waddle, Piddle Puddle and Little Quack you know that your pre-schooler is bound to love this book. It's a cute little story about the ducks leaving the nest for their first big swim, and how Quack builds up the courage to leave the nest with lots of love and encouragement.

There are wonderful lessons here for little readers, but the best and most amazing part of this book are the fabulous expressions on the faces of all these little ducks! I didn't think it was possible to make ducks look all that different and show real emotion, but it's all here in this wonderful, entertaining book that will win raves from the kids and parents.

Perfect for my 3-year-old: just the right amount of lines per page with double-page illustrations that are just outstanding. In this book the five ducklings leave the nest to "paddle on the water" with their Mama. Little Piddle wiggles into the water with a "sploosh." My daughter found the word sploosh so hilarious, it's now an open invitation for a tickle and has also become our family's word for a belly flop in the pool. Mama duck's mantra "you can do it, I know you can" has also proven useful.

This book is very durable. It has great illustrations and my 4 and 6 year old love the story.

Little Quack tells the story of five little ducklings, and a mother duck who is teaching them to swim. While Widdle, Waddle, Piddle and Puddle take to the water pretty easily, Little Quack is apprehensive. Can this ducking runt find the courage to take the plunge? The brilliant illustrations by Derek Anderson are what really makes this simple story precious. These little ducklings have amazing capacity for expression. Each pose is so perfect, you can tell just what the little ducklings are thinking and feeling. The colors are wonderful, and the style graceful yet simple. Between these terrific paintings and the adorable Quack-u-lator feature on the bottom of the pages, this book is too cute not to own. With the help of this book, your pre-schooler can splash right into addition, making Little Quack not only cute, but useful.

The illustrations are wonderful. My 13-month-old loves to look at the pictures. I enjoy them, too, which makes this one of our favorite books. Also, since this book incorporates counting and addition, it will be a book we will keep reading as my son gets older.

Every child's library should have this little treasure! The artwork alone is worth the cost of the book. Derek Anderson's
five ducklings are so humorous, just to look at! Each one being quite different and amusing in its own adorable way with feathers poking up like little cowlicks as they each take Momma Duck's warm encouragement to enter the water for the first time. Oh, how I love this book!