Keep Up, Duck!

February 1, 2024

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.

March 1, 2024
Mamma Duck is leading her ducklings to the lily pond, and little Puck, with his downy feathers and tiny feet, always seems to fall behind. When Mamma encourages him forward ("Keep up, Duck!"), Puck first hops on a paddle boat to catch up, then a skateboard, bicycle, and others. The text has a gentle rhythm and uses a lot of onomatopoeia ("Whizz! and Whirr! went all the wheels. Whizz! Whizz! Whirr! Whoooo!"), perfect for reading aloud. The watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations make beautiful use of delicate lines, subtle textures, and pastel colors, particularly the gradations of blue and green that abound in the water and the landscape surrounding it. The spreads are at once peaceful and full of motion, particularly with Puck, who is a pop of sunny yellow that jumps off each page, leaving confused creatures and mild chaos in his wake. In the end, Puck winds up ahead of his family and gets to shout, "Keep up, Mamma!" On a wordless page, Puck quivers with joy in his accomplishment, and when the family is reunited, Mamma has the good grace not to look irritated. Humorous and charming. Adrienne L. Pettinelli

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2024
Puck the duck keeps falling behind. Mamma Duck and her little ones are swimming to the lily pond. Puck, a scruffy straggler with brown splotches on his back that differentiate him from his siblings, becomes distracted by all the wonderful sights and sounds along the way. Armed with only "downy wings and tiny feet," Puck can't keep up. Dazzled by pastel paddle boats, pedestrians, and playful puppies, Puck is gently scolded by Mamma to "keep up, Duck!" several times and must come up with clever ways to catch up. Ultimately, plucky Puck is appropriately puckish and with a "Hop! Hop! Hop! Plop!" finds a creative and deeply satisfying solution. Sweet watercolor and colored pencil artwork accompanies rhythmically paced prose from Ivan Bates and the late Rachel Bates. Richly illustrated spreads set the scene, and whimsical panels chop up the action, with Puck hop-hopping his way across the pages to plop back into place with the other ducks. Adorable ducklings and a sense of urgency but a distinct lack of any danger keep the stakes compelling but not concerning, and 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. (Picture book. 3-7)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 8, 2024
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.

January 1, 2024
Mamma Duck is leading her ducklings to the lily pond, and little Puck, with his downy feathers and tiny feet, always seems to fall behind. When Mamma encourages him forward ("Keep up, Duck!"), Puck first hops on a paddle boat to catch up, then a skateboard, bicycle, and others. The text has a gentle rhythm and uses a lot of onomatopoeia ("Whizz! and Whirr! went all the wheels. Whizz! Whizz! Whirr! Whoooo!"), perfect for reading aloud. The watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations make beautiful use of delicate lines, subtle textures, and pastel colors, particularly the gradations of blue and green that abound in the water and the landscape surrounding it. The spreads are at once peaceful and full of motion, particularly with Puck, who is a pop of sunny yellow that jumps off each page, leaving confused creatures and mild chaos in his wake. In the end, Puck winds up ahead of his family and gets to shout, "Keep up, Mamma!" On a wordless page, Puck quivers with joy in his accomplishment, and when the family is reunited, Mamma has the good grace not to look irritated. Humorous and charming.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)