Duck to the Rescue

December 9, 2013
Given all the disasters that befall the Greenstalk farm, it’s a wonder that it’s still in business. In the fourth book in the series that began with Chickens to the Rescue, it’s Ernie the duck’s turn to “help out.” So when the pumpkins must get to market on Monday, duck leaps into the driver’s seat of the vintage pickup truck (“I guess we can turn them into pumpkin pie,” says Farmer Greenstalk of the aftermath). Duck’s attempts to retrieve a calf from the rafters of the barn, babysit chickens, and serve as a scarecrow are equally fraught with disaster—and just as certain to have kids laughing through a week’s worth of barnyard chaos. Ages 4–8.

December 1, 2013
Now that the pigs, the chickens and the cows at Greenstalk's farm have made merry mayhem (Cows to the Rescue, 2011, etc.), it's the duck's turn. In this fourth episode of barnyard slapstick from Himmelman, Ernie the duck tries to solve various problems that beset the Greenstalk farm and in the process, makes a delightful hash out of things. He crashes a truck full of pumpkins that are late for the market, has to be rescued himself from the rafters by the calf he has climbed up to save, gets tied up like Gulliver when he babysits the chicks and throws a great shadow-monster against the wall when he switches on the flashlight to comfort a frightened Emily. Ernie's animal friends feel his pain, and a lamb finds a way to restore his confidence. Himmelman's watercolors are sure, whether depicting the brewing crisis or Ernie's inevitable mortification. The artwork also has a comedic clarity that lifts the simple text, enlivening its deadpan humor: "I guess we can turn them into pumpkin pie," says the farmer, pumpkin shell on head and pumpkin guts oozing everywhere. As in the earlier books, there is a hooting refrain--"Duck to the rescue!"--which will make for a raucous read-aloud. This well-intentioned duck has a heart of gold to go with his lead foot and ham fist--er, wing. (Picture book. 4-8)

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January 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-In the fourth visit to the Greenstalk farm, the well-meaning but terribly clumsy Ernie the Duck makes a mess more often than he succeeds in "rescuing" his farm friends. When Ernie tries to help Farmer Greenstalk get the pumpkins to market, they end up in bits and pieces, fit only for pie. The theme continues as the duck attempts, but fails, to properly look after a neighbor's young chicks. In a spread that will invite giggles, the chicks have conquered their hapless babysitter, brandishing wooden swords in a rousing pirate reenactment. Ernie utterly fails as an effective scarecrow in the cornfield, and doesn't make a good soccer player, either. Finally, it is a young lamb that finds a way to thank the frenetic fowl for his valiant, if misplaced, acts of kindness. Brief text, simple sentences, and the repetitive cry, "Duck to the rescue!" frame pencil and watercolor cartoon illustrations. A supplemental purchase for libraries with young fans of the Greenstalk animals.-Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX

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