  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 11/15/2013 In this vibrant picture book, spring brings the birth of baby animals, beginning with “noisy ducklings.” One of the parent ducks leaves its mate and their hatchlings in the nest and goes off to observe other animal families throughout the day. The text draws contrasts between the baby animals shown in the pictures. Some have many siblings, while others have none. Some can walk, but others are carried. Some ride in their mother’s pouch, others in their father’s. Some are furry, while others are scaly. It’s all a bit fanciful, as the animals observed include zebras, sea horses, and polar bears. With just one sentence or phrase on each double-page spread, children can spend as much time as they like absorbing the content, searching for the duck in each picture, and enjoying the colorful springtime scenes. Defined by sweeping black lines, the forms of animals, trees, and plants appear in pleasingly varied compositions, enhanced by digitally collaged painted paper elements that add color, texture, and decorative patterns. A pleasant spring read-aloud choice. - Copyright 2013 Booklist. School Library Journal - 12/01/2013 PreS—Children are taken on an entertaining, duck-led tour in springtime and given insight into the first day in the lives of eight diverse animals. The babies highlighted have distinct differences right from the start. Some are "only children," while others have many siblings. Some can walk immediately, others cannot. On each beautifully colored spread, the parent of five new ducklings at the book's beginning shows readers the differing capabilities of the other newborn offspring. Na's signature, intriguing illustrations are a delight to peruse with their handmade painterly textures and digitally generated layers. Creatures from Africa, Australia, the Arctic, and the ocean commingle happily and share in the joy of new life.—Maryann H. Owen, Children's Literature Specialist, Mt. Pleasant, WI - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Bulletin for the Center... - 01/01/2014 A duck takes a break from its noisy ducklings to guide readers through comparisons of different baby animals in this cheerful celebration of families and infants. The duck encounters babies who have either “lots of brothers and sisters” (a school of fish fry) or none at all (a baby monkey), babies who can walk at birth (a zebra foal) and those who “need a little help” (a lion cub), babies who are carried in a mother’s-or father’s-pouch (kanga joeys and baby seahorses), babies with fur (polar bear cubs), and babies with scales (lizard babies). As nighttime falls, though, all the babies need to go to sleep, even the sleepy ducklings to whom the parent duck now returns. Na’s text is short and sweet, and pint-sized animal lovers will love the parade of various fauna; the cozy ending (in which one of the duck parents sleeps with one eye open to keep an eye on things) will satisfy little ones as well. Painterly textures (swirly spirals scratched through a background of rusts and browns make up the male lion’s mane, for example) provide rich depth to the scenes, and the dynamic mixed-media illustrations are both vibrant and warm. The succinct, rhythmic text and large, inviting illustrations make it an excellent choice for sharing with toddlers and young preschool audiences. JH - Copyright 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Loading...
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