"One little duck went out one day, over the hills and far away. Mother duck said ..."
Wait a minute mother duck said - moo moo moo - no no no - what is going on here? A cow now joins the group.
"Two happy friends went out one day, under the fence and through the hay. Mother duck said ..."
Bow-wow wow-wow! and so a dog joins them along with a chicken, a lamb, a donkey and a pig - seven happy friends. But what about Mother Duck? She is still calling for her baby - but it is okay "Mum I'm back!" This long parade of farm animals reminded me of Who sank the Boat?
One Little Duck has been shortlisted for our CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) Early Childhood Picture Book award. This category is for children aged 0-6 and One Little Duck is certainly a preschool book. It will fit in well with all the Nursery Rhymes I hope preschool educators share with their groups every day. With very young children you should also notice the animals in the scene near the end are reading a famous book - The Three Little Pigs. Also, all the way through the mother duck has been shopping and, in each scene, the hungry animals are holding out their bowls waiting for her delicious food. It might be fun to talk with your group and try to guess what she has been making. I love the way Danny Snell has added another story layer with his illustrations in this book.
Each evening, as she tries to find her quack, the roll at the tea table grows in length and diversity but she remains unflappable, just getting out a bigger cooking pot and more dishes and cutlery each time. Until one night… The Bottom Shelf
One more thing - did you spy a lighthouse in some of the illustrations?
Here are some teachers notes from the publisher. And some others are here.
You can read the judges' critique: Children acquainted with the traditional rhyme, Five Little Ducks, will be delighted with this inventive and surprising picture book about a mother duck who has forgotten how to quack! The familiarity of a farmyard setting is used throughout and the amusing farm animals are the heroes of this story. Page design and an engaging illustration layout together with the endpapers subtly connecting to wallpaper inside the duck house, combine with the lively, humorous text to create a cohesive and enjoyable reading (or singing!) experience. Every element of this book has been carefully considered, from the narrative pace to the visual humour, providing countless opportunities to revisit and retell stories, and to discuss and explore concepts such as sequencing and counting.
Here is the original Nursery Rhyme:
Five little ducks went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mama duck said quack, quack, quack, quack
But only four little ducks came back
Four little ducks went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mama duck said quack, quack, quack, quack
But only three little ducks came back
Three little ducks went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mama duck said quack, quack, quack, quack
But only two little ducks came back
Two little ducks went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mama duck said quack, quack, quack, quack
But only one little duck came back
One little ducks went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mama duck said quack, quack, quack, quack
But none of the five little ducks came back
Sad mother duck went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Sad mother duck said quack, quack, quack, quack
And all the five little ducks came back
I have a very small Pinterest collection of
Songs in Picture Books. I would also look for these books by Tony Wilson:
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