One Duck Stuck

Exuberant rhythms and vibrant illustrations in a one-of-a-kind counting book!

One duck is stuck in the muck. Can two fish, tails going swish, help? What about three moose, munching on spruce? Will four crickets, chirping in the thickets, be able to pull the unlucky duck out of the muck? With bright, spirited illustrations by Jane Chapman, this counting tale by Phyllis Root is a feast of sounds and numbers that will have young listeners scrambling to join the slippy, sloppy fun.

Phyllis Root says she wanted One Duck Stuck to be "a north woods wetlands counting book, accurate to the marshes of Minnesota. All the animals are actually found there. I love to go canoeing and camping, and this book is a composite of my experiences."

Jane Chapman does all her painting in her kitchen, looking out onto the garden. "The color blue in One Duck Stuck is the exact same blue that's in my kitchen," she says. Although she has a pet tortoise named Muggs, who at age 70 is a family heirloom, one day she would like to have a duck as well.