Goodnight, My Duckling
PreS–Fans of Tafuri'sHave You Seen My Duckling?(HarperCollins, 1984) will welcome this companion story. As the light begins to fade over the pond, Mama Duck announces to her eight ducklings that it is time for bed. She and seven of her charges start toward home but one straggler is distracted by the other animals that bid him good night. He soon discovers that he is the only duckling left on the pond. A turtle who has been watching the scene unfold comes to his rescue and safely carries him home. Sharp-eyed youngsters will spot the turtle on each page and will be reassured to see that Mama Duck is never entirely out of sight. The finely detailed, realistic illustrations are rich in color and depth; the spread showing the diminutive duck seemingly all alone on the very large pond is particularly effective. Perfect for evening storytimes and one-on-one readings before bedtime for the youngest listeners.–Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MNCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.