Keep Up, Duck!

Lighthearted, onomatopoetic fare.

This winning tale from Ivan Bates and late author Rachel Bates follows Puck, the littlest of Mamma Duck's fuzzy yellow ducklings, who struggles to keep up with the rest of the brood as they head for the lily pond. When Mamma calls, slightly bedraggled Puck eagerly comes up with a shrewd solution. Assessing the human-propelled swan boats ("Splish! Splash! Swish! Swosh!"), Puck scales the side of one of the boats, vaults onto the knee of a startled passenger, atop the boat's prow, then into the water again ("Hop! Hop! Hop! Plop!"). Now he's caught up with his family. The next time he falls behind, kinetic watercolor and colored pencil panels by Ivan Bates (The Hide-and-Scare Bear) show him hopping from a skateboard to a passing bicycle, and next from the snout of one friendly dog to another. Though smaller than his siblings, he's now faster than them all. Plentiful sound words enhance the panel artwork's fizzy action as the collaborators champion creative problem-solving throughout a contemporary story in which the duckling makes his own way. Human background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 3-7. (Mar.)

Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

PreS-K--"Keep up, Duck!" is the encouraging phrase the mother duck aims at Puck, one of seven ducklings in the boating lake where there are so many people. Small children listening to the story will instantly relate. There are so many distractions and Puck keeps getting temporarily separated from the rest of the group, but inflatable toys, bikes, scooters, and dogs are no match for the ingenious baby duck. In fact, it's a friendly hound that delivers Puck to the lily pond that was the destination all along, and he is even ahead of his family. For preschoolers and kindergartners, this book has the perfect pace, the right amount of suspense, and a satisfying, turnabout-is-fair-play outcome. The text is sparse and full of sound words, with delightful illustrations that convey all the action. VERDICT Story hours will be noisy when children chime in on the last "Keep up!" and they'll be in for rereadings, too.--Ginnie Abbott

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Sweet watercolor and colored pencil artwork accompanies rhythmically paced prose from Ivan Bates and the late Rachel Bates. Richly illustrated spreads set the scene. . . the combination of fun sound effects and sweet visuals will keep readers entertained—especially those lucky enough to hear this tale read aloud. Lighthearted, onomatopoetic fare.
—Kirkus Reviews