DUCKS ON THE ROAD

A family of ducks enjoys a country outing—with a sweet surprise.

After frolicking in a pretty blue pond surrounded by colorful flowers, Mama and Papa Duck and their 10 ducklings set out on a bucolic stroll. The 10th duckling in line stops to greet Frog, and now there are nine. The ninth duckling stops to greet Mouse, and now there are eight. Greetings to Squirrel, Rabbit, Cat, Dog, Pig, Sheep, Owl, and another duckling follow, and finally the number of little ducks in line dwindles to none. Mama and Papa finally notice with alarm. But not to worry. The ducklings reform their row with all their newfound friends and a quacking addition. Now there are 11 ducklings, and the duck family ends up back in the pond surrounded by a very noisy menagerie. Little listeners can have fun counting along and making all the different animal sounds. Lobel’s pastel-hued illustrations are bright and cheerful. They have a folk-art feel that’s reinforced by flat perspectives and gently stylized trees with perfectly spherical crowns; the rolling hills in many backgrounds recall Wanda Gág’s or Virginia Lee Burton’s work. The text does not include numerals, but the number words are flagged in colored type, and the fuzzy yellow ducklings are easy to count. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8.3-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 31.5% of actual size.)

Feathery fun for little ones.