Duck, Duck, Moose

PreS-K--Goose is gone and a young girl pleads with her friends, two ducks and moose, for help in finding their missing pal. The foursome ride through the farm on the tractor while other animals, like the horse and sheep, point them in the right direction. A gold key hung high in a tree appears to be an important clue to goose's disappearance, but after several humorous attempts to retrieve it, the ducks and moose land in the mud and return home without Goose. Sorrowfully, it's time for bath and bed. The next day everyone rejoices to find that Goose has returned, refreshed and happy after a vacation. This amusing book with a rhyming text delivered via repeating words and sentences will delight young children. Words like bonk, thud, thwack, and quack liven up the text and encourage readers to say the words out loud as the action develops. VERDICT This effusive book is an ideal read-aloud, but children will quickly feel comfortable attempting it on their own.--Anne Jung-Mathews, Plymouth State Univ., NH

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"In the hands of master of verbal craftsmanship Mary Sullivan, this story becomes a snappy verse narrative....The result is a beginning reader that turns its restrictions into fodder for play, with the repetitions easing the read while ramping up the silliness, and spare, simple word choice ("Jump, jump, jump!") contrasting with goofy sound effects ("BAM! BONK! THWACK!") and the occasional comic turn of phrase ("DON'T FREAK OUT!" cries the moose, clearly freaking out)....youngsters just starting out on the decoding trail will relish the frenzied hilarity in ridiculously restricted format."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "This amusing book with a rhyming text delivered via repeating words and sentences will delight young children. Words like bonk, thud, thwack, and quack liven up the text and encourage readers to say the words out loud as the action develops.... This effusive book is an ideal read-aloud, but children will quickly feel comfortable attempting it on their own." - School Library Journal