Ducks!

by Deborah Underwood, T. L. McBeth (Illustrator)

Overview

"Duck wanders away from the pond for a moment and returns to find the other ducks gone! Searching high and low, Duck discovers many clues around the city - footprints, feathers, egg - but no ducks. Will Duck's feathered friends finally be found?"--Provided by publisher.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250127099
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	02/11/2020
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Deborah Underwood is the author of numerous picture books, including Bearnard's Book, The Panda Problem, Interstellar Cinderella, the New York Times-bestsellers The Quiet Book and Here Comes the Easter Cat, and Ogilvy, which was also illustrated by T. L. McBeth. She lives in Northern California.

T. L. McBeth is the author and illustrator of Robot in Love. He made his picture book debut illustrating Bridget Heos’s Stegothesaurus and also illustrated Deborah Underwood's Ogilvy. He lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

11/11/2019

Captivated by a butterfly, a duckling wanders away from its three siblings in the pond. But when the duckling turns back to rejoin the group, it’s panic-stricken to find that the pond now has “NO DUCKS!” Readers follow along as Underwood and McBeth (cocreators of Ogilvy) take the pert protagonist through a series of funny false leads: single-plane, minimalist black-line vignettes, with accents in orange and sky blue, begin with a hopeful interrogative—“DUCKS?” —only to be followed by a crestfallen “NO DUCKS” (the all-caps typography makes the mouth-tickling repetition of “ducks” all the more satisfying). A promising “SQUAWK SQUAWK” belongs to a brass band; web-footed footprints belong to a kid in flippers. After registering emotions ranging from despondency to “give me a break,” the duckling is inspired to tack up a “LOST DUCKS” notice on a utility pole, then realizes the siblings have done the same, and a joyful reunion ensues at the pond. Get ready to quack a smile—or several. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Productions. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

2019-11-10
The odd duck looks for the right ducks in all the wrong places.

Working together once more after Ogilvy (2019), Underwood and McBeth trail a wayward duck on the search for its fellows. The text is limited to just four words, with a few others incorporated into the illustrations, so the pictures do the heavy narrative lifting as a young duckling follows a butterfly away from the pond where the other ducks swim. Determined to locate them after it realizes its mistake, the fowl is thwarted time and again. The sounds of "Squawk!" are made by a local brass band (all humans in this title present white). Webbed footprints are the work of a snorkler. Feathers? That's a pillow fight. Only when the duck decides to get a little more proactive in its search does it discover that the other ducks have been hunting just as hard. The simplicity of the writing gives ample room for the artist's deft employment of visual humor. At one moment the duck gives young readers a half-lidded look of pure skepticism that breaks down the fourth wall. Kids will no doubt get a kick out of seeing the duck's expectations upset with increasing ludicrousness (a seeming duck egg that hatches a baby dinosaur climaxes the silliness). They'll enjoy even more the happy ending waiting in the wings.

Fine-feathered and funny frolics. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews

★ 03/01/2023

PreS-K—In an all but wordless board book in three colors (black, blue, orange), one duck becomes separated from three others and valiantly tries to find them. The duck calls "Ducks?" but finds only "No Ducks!" and feathers (from a pillow fight), squawks from brass horns, and discouragement. A lost dog sign inspires this duck to make a similar sign, and the simplicity of the solution and the reunion will reassure any toddler who has ever stepped into the wrong aisle at a grocery store. Here is a delightful economy of form, accompanied by a powerful impact emotionally. VERDICT Could it be a classic? Children will be shouting "Ducks!" and "No Ducks!" at story hours, but it's all in a terrific cause.

School Library Journal