TWO DUMB DUCKS

Despite a mild cover featuring simple rubber-ducky types, you’d be a dumb duck to assume a toddler audience for this sly humor. Using bright, flat colors and generic two-dimensional shapes, Eaton draws Steve and Carl, distressed by seagulls who taunt, “Two dumb ducks! Two dumb ducks!” The ducks plot (non-specific) revenge but fall asleep in the mud; when they waken, it’s the seagulls’ turn to hide—because they mistake the mud-covered ducks for “MUCK MONSTERS!” Problem solved—but who’s the audience? Dick & Jane diction (“Steve and Carl are ducks… / Steve likes cans… / Carl likes socks… // They do not like seagulls”) and an attempt to halt the jeering with an earnest request speak to toddlers, but psychologizing (might the bullies have “Troubles at home?”) and puppets with x-eyes (evoking comic-book death) are funny for older kids or teens. While rooting for its heroes, the text also winks at readers: The ducks shouldn’t be teased, but they are kind of dumb. Use this one for casual fun, not for relating to bullied protagonists. (Picture book. 5-8)