Ducky
PreSchool-Grade 2.  In 1992, a large crate of bathtub toys traveling from Hong Kong to Tacoma, Washington, was lost at sea. Since then, hundreds of the toys have washed ashore, with scientists recording their positions, plotting their courses, and using the information to further their study of currents, winds, and tides. Ducky is the first-person account of one yellow plastic duck that survived the journey to fulfill his destiny in a little boy's tub. In the throes of the adventure, Ducky wishes he could do more than just float, that he could swim, or fly. But, by journey's end, safe and with a child of his own, the contented toy concludes, "How wondrous it is to be able to float!" Bunting's narrative opens with the choppy rhythms and abbreviated sentences of an easy reader, but grows more lyrical as events progress. It is a bit cloying, though. Wisniewski's intricate paper cuts seem a bit grandiose for this modest, somewhat precious text. They will engage readers, however, and they are striking in their use of color and texture, in their composition, and in their interpretation of events. A bit out of sync, then, but likely to find an audience among the bathtub set?and budding scientists as well.?Marcia Hupp, Mamaroneck Public Library, NYCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.