What's Up, Duck?

April 1, 2008
In what seems a natural extension of Hills uncluttered composition style and simple, toylike characters, the artistexpands hisDuck& Goose series of picture bookswith a board book. Helped by a new character, a bluebird, the three familiar feathered friends (Duck, Goose, and Thistle) demonstrate each of nine pairs of opposite words: front, back; near, far; high, low; and so forth. Very young children unacquainted with the characters may not find enough to engage their attention in the stripped-down scenes, which feature little more than birds, blue sky, and grass. The truth is, though, many toddlers will already know Duck & Goose (2006) and Duck, Duck, Goose (2007), both of which have ultrasimple texts perfectly accessible to young preschoolers, and for these children, a variation better able to stand up totheirrip-and-chew ministrations may be just the thing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)