Dilly-dally and the Nine Secrets

When her friends see Dilly-Dally Duck sitting alone in an unusual place in the pond, they become concerned and approach her to see if all is well, in this charming counting tale for beginning readers.

PreSchool-K-MacDonald's attempt to include lessons in counting and nature in this very slight mystery is only moderately successful. Sitting alone among the reeds of a little island upriver on a sunny day in late spring, Dilly-Dally Duck is visited by various river birds and animals-all of them accompanied by their offspring (one heron chick, two baby otters, three goslings, etc.). In response to their invitations to join them on the river, Dilly-Dally explains that she has secret reasons for staying where she is, and the number of reasons increases with the number of young that are visiting her at the moment. A "greedy-looking" magpie provides a focal diversion in each illustration. The duck's secrets, of course, are her eggs, from which 9 ducklings hatch at the end of the story, while the magpie's brood of 10 is shown sitting on a tree branch in the final spread (real magpies don't have such large broods). Brown's well-designed double-page watercolors in pale, sun-washed yellow greens, peachy yellows, soft ochers, and watery blues include panoramic views of the river and the animals mentioned in the story, as well as close-ups of the various creatures as they visit the duck. They will encourage children to count each group of babies, and can be used to reinforce both counting skills and the concept of sequential order. Conspicuously absent are the numerals. Definitely not a first choice for counting-book collections, this loosely plotted story can be used as additional reinforcement.
Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

MacDonald's counting book, which blends a pastoral setting with malicious intent, takes place on a bosky riverside. One of the locals, Dilly-Dally Duck, has not been seen recently, so a heron and her chick shuffle off for a look-see. Dilly-Dally is discovered secluded in the reeds of an island. What gives? asks the heron. ``I have a certain reason, one secret reason, for sitting here,'' whispers Dilly-Dally. Up in a nearby branch, alert with menace, is a magpie. As the days roll by, one river dweller after anotherfrog and otter and voletowing an increasing number of little ones, visits Dilly-Dally. She repeats that she has secrets (two, or three, or more, in progression) to keep, rolling her eyes at the magpie assassin up in the tree. When Dilly-Dally reappears on the river scene, nine ducklings floating behind her, and the magpie must look elsewhere for food to feed ten hungry mouths back at the nest. Brown's delicate watercolors provide a soothing counterpoint to the sinister atmosphere provoked by the lurking magpie. This is a gentle introduction to nature's tooth and claw, though magpies everywhere might resent the smear campaign. The skewing of relationships will leave literal-minded children with at least one question: How do the heron and the frog get along? (Picture book. 3-7) -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.