Cold Little Duck, Duck, Duck: A Springtime Book For Kids

by Lisa Westberg Peters, Sam Williams (Illustrator)

Overview

What's a cold little duck to do when she races the spring thaw to her home pond and wins? She could shiver, slip, slide, and shake—or think lovely, warm thoughts until nature comes through and brings the pond splashing and quacking to life once again. Lisa Westberg Peters and Sam Williams are inspired harbingers of spring in this irresistible story that's also an unrivaled read-aloud featuring enchanting rhyme and repetition and absolutely winsome illustrations of the cold (but brave!) little duck.

Children's Pick of the Lists 2000(ABA)

2001 Notable Children's Books (ALA)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780688161781
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/01/2000
Series:	Avenues
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lisa Westberg Peters is the author of Sleepyhead Bear; Cold Little Duck, Duck, Duck; Earthshake: Poems from the Ground Up; and several other books for children. She lives with her family in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Sam Williams has written, illustrated, and produced numerous books for children, including Cold Little Duck, Duck, Duck by Lisa Westberg Peters. The artist lives with his wife in Hertfordshire, England.

Editorial Reviews

An adorable duckling who flew north a bit too soon gets a temporary case of the shivers. But when spring and her fellow feathered friends finally arrive, it all proves worth the wait. The rhyming text is a marvel of pithy, read-aloud storytelling.
— Parenting

Leonard S. Marcus

A little duck learns the power of positive thinking in this salute to spring. Returning to her pond, the world's cutest duck discovers that winter has not yet relinquished its frigid hold on the area. With her little feet stuck to the ice, the frosty fowl endeavors to hasten the arrival of spring by thinking warm thoughts. As if awakened by the sheer willpower of the duck, spring arrives, bringing balmy breezes to melt the icy pond as well as a flock of her feathered friends. Peters's (October Smiled Back, 1997) verses sing a duck's ode to vernal season: "Of crocuses and apple buds/And blades of grass in squishy mud." The sprightly, rhyming verses are featured in oversized black lettering. Cleverly incorporated into the illustrations is a subtext highlighting the action of each page: "Of wiggly worms and shiny beetles—black, black, black . . . . And blades of grass in squishy mud—snack, snack, snack." Children will readily join in on these lively chants making this a rollicking read aloud experience. Williams's soft watercolors fill the pages, capturing the splendor of spring, impossibly fluffy little ducklings frolicking about, azure skies and fresh green fields. A charming tale on its own, this is also a great way to introduce the wonder of the changing seasons to children. Sweet, sweet, sweet. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews