DUCKIE’S DUCKLINGS

Barry’s charming duck, who taught toddlers colors in Duckie’s Rainbow (2004), returns to help with numbers one to ten. Duckie is ready to take her ten ducklings for a swim, but she can’t find them. By the shed, she finds only flowerpots; by the tree, she finds only apples; by the roses she finds only butterflies. When she hears a tiny “Quack,” Duckie turns around to discover that her ducklings have been lining up behind her all along. Progressively larger sections of the left-hand page are cut away to reveal one duckling after another as they line up for the count. Young listeners will enjoy the game and the bright adorable collage illustrations on sturdy paper. The final endpapers add something extra: more items numbered one to ten to look for in the story. Reminiscent of Eric Carle’s early work, this uniquely shaped, inexpensive numbers lesson belongs in every collection—at least once. (Picture book. 2-5)