Little+Quack



Little Quack by Lauren Thompson and pictures by Derek Anderson Kara Santopietro

**Bibliographical Data:** Original Publication Date: 2003 Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers Hardcover: $15.99 (Barnes and Noble) Board Book: $7.19 (Barnes and Noble) ISBN: 0-689-84723-8 Pages: 32

Little Quack is about a duck who is the youngest of all his other siblings Widdle, Waddle, Piddle, and Puddle. Their mother wants them to overcome their fear of the water and learn how to swim. In the beginning they ducklings are scared and do not want to go. One after another, the ducklings all take turns and jump in the water. First went Widdle then Waddle, Piddle, and Puddle. Next was Little Quack but he was really scared. His mother and siblings all called to him giving him courage that he could do it. Little Quack took a minute and finally felt brave enough and jumped into the water. Then as a happy family, the ducklings paddled behind their mother.
 * Summary:**

I thought this was a cute story about a family of ducks. It is a nice book to teach to your preschool or kindergarten kids because it may remind them of rubber ducks that they may still take a bath with and they can learn from it also. I really liked how the author included a quack-a-lator at the bottom of every other 2 pages. It helps children visualize and count how many ducks are jumping into the water. The illustrations are bright, capture the story’s words, and really drive the story. It is a very interesting story and I like how if you look at the front and back of the book, you can get an insight on what they main idea of the story is.
 * Review:**

This book has a really good theme of overcoming challenges and really displays its meaning through the vivid illustrations that drive the story. All the little ducklings are scared of jumping into the water. They must overcome that fear if they want to be with their mother. So one after one, each duckling jumped into the water except for Little Quack. For the four older ducklings, it is easy to overcome but for Little Quack, it is not. He has more trouble overcoming this challenge because he was too scared to. Then after exploring the water, he decides to just jump into the water and he is super proud of himself. The mother knew all along that her little ducklings could do it and she gave them the courage to overcome their fears and challenges. This is a good theme for children to learn about because overcoming challenges and fears happens all the time. It also shows children that there is always someone there to help them succeed like a parent or friend.
 * Analysis of Literary Element:**

Lauren Thompson was born in 1962 and had one sibling Carol. She loved to go to school and loved to read and write stories and poems. After completing college, Lauren decided to go into the publishing business so in 1988, she moved to New York to work in the editorial department of a children’s book publisher. For 18 years she worked as an editor helping not only other authors but also write and published her own books. In 2006, she decided to leave publishing and to spend her time writing, she know lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and son. Other books she has written include //One// //Starry Night, Mouse Loves School, Chew, Chew, Gulp!, Little Quack series, and the Christmas Magic//.
 * Biography:**

Websites: [|www.laurenthompson.net] southkindergareten.wikispaces.com/Little+Quack+Activities
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