Ducks Don't Wear Socks - Hardcover

John Nedwidek

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670061360 ISBN 13: 9780670061365

Publisher: Viking Juvenile, 2008

Synopsis

Emily is a serious girl. She enjoys serious things like bird-watching, math, and playing the cello. But one day while she?s taking a walk, Emily runs into Duck, who is anything but serious . . .

?Duck,? asked Emily. ?What are you wearing??
?Socks!? yelled Duck.
?Ducks don?t wear socks,? replied Emily seriously.
?Cold feet!? yelled Duck, and off he went.

Through a series of humorous run-ins, Duck teaches Emily the importance of laughing?especially at oneself. A witty and comical debut picture book, this hilariously illustrated story will have readers laughing along with Emily.

About this title

About the Author

John Nedwidek lives in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Lee White lives in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 2—A serious girl learns to loosen up after meeting a dapper duck with a wacky wardrobe and a penchant for delivering deadpan retorts. She first sees him wearing socks, and then a tie, a cowboy hat, and the always-giggle-generating underwear. The seemingly coincidental meetings follow a pattern that children will appreciate. When straitlaced Emily questions Duck's attire, he is always ready with a succinct (and silly) reply that requires him to continue on his merry way. As the story progresses, his outfits and reasons become more outlandish, causing Emily to lighten up and ultimately find a way to make Duck himself laugh in return. Duck's retorts appear in bold font and encourage readers to build on their expression. White's colorful illustrations bring the story's humor to life. The cartoon style allows the creature's wackiness to shine while providing visual clues for those just beginning to read independently. A lighthearted lesson on the benefits of laughter, this is just plain fun. Duck will fly off the shelves with the same speed as Mo Willems's Pigeon.—Maura Bresnahan, High Plain Elementary School, Andover, MA
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Flouting convention often does no serious harm, as Nedwidek seeks to demonstrate in his debut picture book about a girl who loosens up with the help of a silly bird. Emily is introduced as “a serious girl” (she’s reading The Big Book of Serious Things), but one day she meets Duck riding a unicycle and juggling fruit. Emily can’t believe that Duck is wearing white socks with red stripes, and announces “Ducks don’t wear socks.” “Cold feet!” explains Duck, as he rides away. They have several more encounters during the course of the book, during which Emily objects to his tie, his hat, and his underwear, never mentioning the  unusual things he’s doing (running with a briefcase to a meeting, washing his clothes while sailing on a sailboat). White’s watercolor artwork sets aside realism in favor of humor (Duck’s green head looks like a cucumber), and wonderfully captures both Duck’s freewheeling nature and Emily’s increasing enjoyment of Duck’s eccentricities. In the end, Emily dresses up as Duck and gives him a pleasant surprise of her own. Grades K-3. --Abby Nolan

Edition details

• Publisher: Viking Juvenile
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0670061360
• ISBN 13: 9780670061365
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Lee White
• Number of pages: 32