ANNOTATION

Baby Duck follows a rubber ducky down waterfalls, through the woods, and far away from home, not realizing that he will have to find his own way back.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Fun, friendship, and adventure!
Baby Duck's mama warns him not to swim past the old stone bridge unless he's with a duck who can fly. Luckily, Baby Duck meets what appears to be the perfect new friend--it can swim and fly, and it isn't afraid of anything. The two of them make an incredible journey to the sea. And when Baby Duck has to find his own way home, he discovers something amazing about himself.
Award-winning author Frank Asch and his son, Devin, have written a heartwarming story about a little duckling who finds it within himself to spread his wings . . . and fly!

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In a story with echoes of the elder Asch's Happy Birthday, Moon, an eager-to-roam duckling befriends a rubber ducky who has fallen out of a truck and plopped into his watery path. "You don't talk much... but you sure are fun!" Baby Duck says, as he follows the impervious bobbing toy. Their adventure quickly turns dangerous. Soon Baby Duck is left deserted on a faraway beach and despairs of ever getting back homeDuntil he discovers he can fly. A lovely glow radiates from the Asches' digitally enhanced pen-and-ink illustrations, particularly in their depictions of water and moonlight. The father-and-son team (Devin Asch makes his debut here) keeps the book's action at arm's length with their flat, mural-like renderings. This can be a plus, for instance, as the duck pair head down a waterfall, but the artwork also softens the drama of Baby Duck's reunion with his mother. Children will likely get a charge out of being in on the joke. Ages 2-5. (Apr.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature

Created by a father-son team, this book follows Baby Duck as he ventures out past the stone bridge. The rule is that he cannot swim past the bridge unless someone who flies accompanies him. Luckily, a quiet, yellow duck splashes into the river right next to him and bobs up and down. He follows his new friend all the way to the sea, not realizing that the quiet duck is actually a rubber toy fallen from a truck. Baby Duck must get home, and marshals strengths he didn't know he had. The stylized drawings were executed in pen and ink were computer-enhanced with color—young children will enjoy the bold colors, and many will recognize Baby Duck's new friend from their own bathtubs. 2001, Gulliver/Harcourt, $15.00. Ages 2 to 5. Reviewer: Dr. Judy Rowen

School Library Journal

PreS-K-Baby Duck goes exploring, keeping in mind his mother's admonition not to go past the bridge unless he is with a companion capable of flying. When a yellow rubber duck drops from a truck crossing the bridge, the duckling is certain that he has found a friend that fills that requirement. He follows his new acquaintance downstream, past a fox, over a waterfall, and into the ocean. When both ducks are finally tossed ashore, a passing boy finds the toy and takes it home. Frightened and alone, Baby Duck angrily flaps his wings, and soon discovers that he can fly. He takes to the air and follows the river home, where he explains to his anxious mother that he met a new friend. She gives him a minnow and tells him that tomorrow is the big day when he will learn how to fly. Like most children, he is way ahead of mom. Drawn in pen and ink and colorized in Adobe Photoshop, the serviceable illustrations are clear and bright but add little to the text. Also, the story's premise, that the falling rubber duck appears to be flying, will be difficult for the intended audience to understand, as will some of the subsequent events. For the most part, there is very little excitement or tension here. Like a Saturday-morning cartoon, this tale depends upon incredible circumstances and survival by dumb luck.-Marlene Gawron, Orange County Library, Orlando, FL Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Hard as it may be to imagine, a rubber ducky becomes a dangerous companion in this father-son collaboration. Mama Duck has forbidden Baby Duck to pass the stone bridge unless he's with a friend who can fly. Imagine his excitement when a yellow stranger plummets out of the sky (actually, it fell off a passing truck) and without a word proceeds to float downstream. Baby Duck follows, past a waterfall (" 'Oh my! The river is broken!' "), an inquisitive fox, and at last, scariest of all, out to a storm-tossed sea. Though the illustrations' software-applied colors have an artificially uniform, glossy look, almost like animation cels, the figures are formed with Frank Asch's familiar, seemingly artless simplicity. In the end, the ducks are both washed up onto a beach; the rubber one is collected by a passing boy, the feathered one discovers that he can fly and wings back to Mama. Like all better "leaving the nest" tales for very young readers, this carries the reassuring message that, yes, the wide world can be dangerous as well as exciting, but you can go home again. (Picture book. 4-6)