DUCK SKATES

Five ducklings could not be more excited over the hefty snowfall outside their windows. They grab their hats, coats, boots and skates; two are so wound up they can’t wait for the others and so run ahead. They all skate, have a great snowball fight, skate some more and head for home to dry off and have cocoa and cake before curling up in front of a fire. Berry’s first children’s book is a rambunctious, rhyming ode to the joys of group skates and winter fun. The text hides cagey little numbers lessons and reinforcements of the idea of pairs (of skates, boots, ducks). Nakata’s watercolor-and-ink paintings extend the exuberance of the rhyme. Her downy waterfowl slip, bounce, topple and slide across every illustration, some spot, others nearly full-bleed. Even though ducks seem to grace every picture book these days, this one’s a first purchase. Storytimers will have just one word for you when you finish this: AGAIN! (Picture book. 3-5)