A mother duck and her quintet of ducklings play a rousing game of hide-and-seek in this playful counting tale. As Mama counts from one to ten, her fluffy offspring scatter to their secret spots. Little Duck panics when Mama’s count-off approaches “ten” and he bolts for the handiest spot—choosing to hide in plain sight—just behind her. An ingenuous “Quack-u-Lator” provides readers with a visual reinforcement of Mama’s duckling countdown. Occupying a wide band on the bottom of several pages, a combination of duckling icons and a minus sign offers a numerical answer—the written word is on the facing page. While Mama paddles around in search of her offspring, she keeps a verbal tally of the number of ducklings discovered, but here there is no accompanying “Quack-u-Lator,” unfortunately. But this is a sprightly tale to share even with or without the attendant math overtures since Anderson supplies acrylic paintings rendered in deep jewel tones, with full-bleed pages resplendent in rich sapphire blues and verdant greens. Cuddlesome ducklings add instant eye-appeal while the predictable rhythms of the tale are satisfying for small fry. (Picture book. 2-6)
