Q is for Little Quack: Library Notes

   

Lauren Thompson and Derek Anderson wrote Little Quack which became a series of adorable children's books. There is a good night version, one to practice colours and another to practice counting. They are additions that follow the original text about a cute little duck.

Now before I open the text, I cannot help but mention that my mind first goes to the song about 5 little ducks and mama calling them to come back and about Ernie's song on Sesame Street about his rubber duckie and Old McDonald's duck on his farm. Ducks are often included in Easter stories and in books about springtime. Usborne books have a series where you find a little duck that is hiding on each page.

Ducks lead to pond studies, bath time adventures, farm narratives and wonderful stories such as the ones in this series of books. Little Quack is one of five ducklings. His siblings' names are Widdle, Waddle, Piddle and Puddle and they are all growing up. Mom calls them to their first adventure in the pond but they are scared. However, with great confidence, mom calls them out. One by one they venture out, making various sounds as they leave the nest. The repetitive text allows the children the opportunity to practice their words and the story also includes counting how many ducks are in the pond and how many are left in the nest.

Little Quack is the last one to leave the next. He uses his senses to test out the waters. He looks, he sniffs, he touches it with his foot. Then he bravely steps out, copying the sounds of each of his siblings as he celebrates his new adventure. Perhaps a good follow up to this is to get out a sensory bin for a child to explore or to go to a pool and try out getting into the water for a swim. Does the look, smell or feel of something make it easier or more difficult to follow through? Knowing if the water is clear and not too cold might help. Knowing if a food smells as good as it looks may help them taste something new. Senses are tools for our learning and Little Quack uses them effectively.

The little ducks are growing and learning new skills. This book is great to encourage children to try new things as they grow. Enjoy the counting, vocabulary, and pictures of this book together and all the adventures and stories that it leads to! The world is expanded by stories like this one. Keep on reading!