Customer Reviews

Sitting Duck

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

 

 

We are using this book for a university based reading enrichment program for grades 1-4. Its ideal and allows lot of imagination to flow.

Sitting Duck continues the adventures of the lovable Max, first introduced in "Duck at the Door." Children who are used to being on the receiving end of an evening with a babysitter will be delighted at the idea of being the one in charge. When Max is recruited to watch the rambunctious puppy Anabel for a day, however, the task turns out to be more than he expected. Even with the help of his dog, cat, bird, and rabbit friends, he quickly discovers that the rowdy not-so-little pooch is a disaster in progress! Humor is broad in both the childlike text and the exuberant watercolor art. One of the joys of the Max books is the way unspoken subplots appear in the illustrations. For this adventure, Max has acquired a camera, and although it is never mentioned in the text, readers will spot it clicking from page to page. The resulting photos are arranged scrapbook-style on the book's endpapers to recap the memorable experience.

Thank goodness we got this book from the library, and didn't actually purchase it. It's poorly written, has awkward wording, flow, structure, everything! It's not hard to keep my child entertained, but this book is far from imaginitive or engaging.

Sitting Duck's plot line is taking care of a puppy. Simple elegance. What 3 year girl doesn't enjoy a story about taking care of a puppy? I like the multiple layers of information that makes reading this and other books in this series fun to talk about as we read. We have a number of faces and sound effects we've added that were inspired by the creative fun of this and other Duck books. My own parents find the humor in the book slightly odd but for me seeing my dad's confused look as he reads this to his grand daughter is just another plus.