Cold Little Duck, Duck, Duck: A Springtime Book For Kids – A Winsome Read-Aloud About Nature and Seasons for Children (Ages 4-8) (Avenues) - Hardcover

Peters, Lisa Westberg

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688161782 ISBN 13: 9780688161781

Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 2000

Synopsis

What's a cold little duck to do when she races the spring thaw to her home pond and wins? She could shiver, slip, slide, and shake--or think lovely, warm thoughts until nature comes through and brings the pond splashing and quacking to life once again. Lisa Westberg Peters and Sam Williams are inspired harbingers of spring in this irresistible story that's also an unrivaled read-aloud featuring enchanting rhyme and repetition and absolutely winsome illustrations of the cold (but brave!) little duck.

Children's Pick of the Lists 2000(ABA)

2001 Notable Children's Books (ALA)

About this title

About the Authors

Lisa Westberg Peters is the author of Sleepyhead Bear; Cold Little Duck, Duck, Duck; Earthshake: Poems from the Ground Up; and several other books for children. She lives with her family in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Sam Williams has written, illustrated, and produced numerous books for children, including Cold Little Duck, Duck, Duck by Lisa Westberg Peters. The artist lives with his wife in Hertfordshire, England.

From the Back Cover

What's a cold little duck to do when she races the spring thaw to her home pond and wins? She could shiver, slip, slide, and shake--or think lovely, warm thoughts until nature comes through and brings the pond splashing and quacking to life once again. Lisa Westberg Peters and Sam Williams are inspired harbingers of spring in this irresistible story that's also an unrivaled read-aloud featuring enchanting rhyme and repetition and absolutely winsome illustrations of the cold (but brave!) little duck.

Children's Pick of the Lists 2000(ABA)

2001 Notable Children's Books (ALA)

Reviews

PreSchool-K-"One miserable and frozen spring," a cold little duck flies in to find that her pond is frozen over and her feet stick to the ice. A friendly bear cub tells her that she is too early and should go "back back back." She closes her eyes and thinks very hard about spring, and suddenly the ice melts, the rest of the flock arrives, and "The warm little duck dove into spring/Quack-Quack Quack." The book has a very simple rhythmic text with words at the end of each short phrase repeated three times. It begs to be read aloud so that children can chime in on repetition. The soft pencil-and-watercolor illustrations in lovely pastels evoke the chill of winter and the warmth of spring, creating a beautiful book for sharing with toddlers. Combined with Denise Fleming's In the Small, Small Pond (Holt, 1993) and perhaps Lydia Dabcovich's Sleepy Bear (Dutton, 1985), this title would make a perfect program on seasonal transitions.
Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In this visually sumptuous testimony to patience and the power of positive thinking, a brown duckling arrives back at her pond a bit too early for spring. Her feet stick to the frozen waterA"stuck stuck stuck"Aand the brisk air makes her "shake shake shake." But when she concentrates hard on all the wonderful things that warm weather will bringA"crocuses and applebuds/ And blades of grass in squishy mud"Aa flock of ducks appears in the sky, with spring right on their webbed heels. With tightly composed vignettes and watercolor spreads, British artist Williams depicts a landscape on the verge of transformation. In the opening pages, his purple skies and expanses of white convey both the physical and spiritual chill of winter; when spring blossoms forth, the pages pulse with heartwarming blues, yellows and greens. Peters's (October Smiled Back) rhythmic text set in huge, elegant type and punctuated on each page by the graphic treatment of a single-syllable evocative verb, acts as just the right introduction to the change of seasons. For example, a spread featuring the text "The ducks flew down, they dipped and splashed" also shows the words "dunk dunk dunk" bobbing in the water, circling a duck with its backside protruding from the pond. All told, a wonderful answer to the perennial question: "Will spring ever get here?" Ages 4-up. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

One swallow may not make a spring--but one duck just might. When a little duck finds her pond still frozen, she imagines the colors, sounds, and even tastes that come with the warmer weather--and, along with some ducky company, spring arrives! Most of the text is in bold block letters that will entice not-quite readers; also, the rhythmic repetition of imperfect rhymes ending in k sounds invites young listeners to chant along. Williams' pencil-and-watercolor illustrations contrast the chilly browns, blues, and mauves of winter with spring's bright pastels. A wonderful read-aloud pick-me-up for those blah, between-season March days. Catherine Andronik
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0688161782
• ISBN 13: 9780688161781
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Williams Sam
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32