Ducks Don't Wear Socks
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, MACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.