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Searching... Monmouth Public Library | SAUER | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
All Duck wants in the world is a little bit of peace and quiet, but the other animals on the farm just don't understand. Can Duck make friends with his fellow barnyard animals and still get the peace and quiet he wants?
Author Notes
Tammi Sauer is the author of All Kinds of Special , Mr. Duck Means Business , Mostly Monsterly , Chicken Dance , Cowboy Camp , and other books. She has worked as both a teacher and library media specialist. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband and two children. Visit her at TammiSauer.com.
Jeff Mack has written and illustrated a long list of award-winning picture books, chapter books, and early readers, including the Clueless McGee series; the Mr. Monkey series; Good News, Bad News ; Hush Little Polar Bear ; Duck in the Fridge ; Look! ; and Dog Gets a Pet . He lives, works, and sometimes monkeys around in western Massachusetts. Visit him at JeffMack.com.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-A self-proclaimed introvert, Mr. Duck happily entertains himself and finds his pond perfect for a solitary life. One day, however, the neighborhood animals, uninvited, invade his territory; soon Pig, Cow, Goat, and others are reveling in a splashing, crashing, boisterous manner. Mr. Duck demands that they leave and they do (with proper apologies). Soon, however, he finds that solitude is not so great after all. Rethinking the situation, Mr. Duck finds a way to make time for himself and to enjoy his newfound friends. Sauer's clever use of language-"Mr. Duck grumbled. He mumbled. He flip-flop-fumbled"-will engage children and help soften the getting-along message in a humorous and likable way. Mack picks up on this note, filling the pages with color and action. The expressive characters (especially Mr. Duck) provide amusing touches in illustrations that sprawl across the pages. A pleasing book that offers a viable avenue for discussion about how sometimes compromise is the best way to go.-Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Mr. Duck enjoys solitude and follows a strict routine in his pond. "At precisely 8:01, he would glide across the perfectly still water," flanked by hand-painted signs that read "No Visitors Welcome" and "Don't Even Think About It." Everything changes one day when a pig does a cannonball off the dock, disrupting the tranquillity. "Mr. Duck [is] all set to give Pig a strongly worded speech regarding private property," when a delighted cow dives in, too, followed by a goat, horse, and chickens. Mack (Hush Little Polar Bear) plays up both the barnyard crew's aquatic glee (at one point the pig and cow do a synchronized swimming routine) as well as Mr. Duck's party-pooper reactions. Amid the festivities, a fuzzy yellow peep finally notices Duck's displeasure: "Perhaps we've overstayed our welcome." Mr. Duck resumes his routine, but, predictably, feels lonesome. He paints a revised sign allowing "noise" for two set hours every afternoon. The animals' merriment is always tangible, yet the fuddy-duddy's new regulations don't really redeem his preceding grumpiness. Even with his late-in-the-game compromise, Mr. Duck is never quite likable. Ages 4-8. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Mr. Duck enjoys his daily routine--and his peace and quiet--until uninvited farm animals show up and start frolicking in his pond. When Mr. Duck first protests then regains his privacy, the solitude gets to him, and he devises a win-win solution. Mack's illustrations (especially in Mr. Duck's expressions, gestures, and homemade signs and charts) effectively convey his utter exasperation--and, eventually, his total contentment. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Mr. Duck enjoys his solitude and his schedule. 6:00: stretch. 7:00: fluff feathers. 8:01: "glide across the perfectly still water"...until one day cattails obscure the "NO" in his "NO VISITORS WELCOME" sign, and Pig cannonballs in for some fun. "Mr. Duck sputtered. He muttered. He tail-a-fluttered." Pig doesn't get the message. Before Duck can really state his case, Cow dives in for some synchronized water ballet. Mr. Duck tries to let them know just how he feels about the intrusion, but they're joined by Goat, Sheep, Horse, Mouse, Chicken and ten chicks! "[T]he peace and quiet? It. Was. Gone." Mr. Duck snaps, and they finally get it. But after everyone leaves, the quiet eventually gets to him, so he comes up with a plan to save his alone time and still have fun with new friends. Sauer's dour and disciplined duck and his rhyming hissy fits will most definitely entertain. Mack's furry and feathered wide-eyed animals rendered in ebullient acrylic are a great match for this fine farmyard fable. (Picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
After stretching his wings at 6:00 and fluffing his feathers at 7:00, Mr. Duck glides contently across the perfectly still water at exactly 8:01 every morning. On one especially hot day, however, Mr. Duck's peaceful glide is interrupted, and his NO Visitors Welcome sign ignored by Pig's cannonball, Cow's belly flop, and the rest of the barnyard animals in a rowdy game of Marco Polo. Angered by the noisy disruption, Mr. Duck tapped. He flapped. He totally SNAPPED. After the animals fail to pick up on his frustration, Mr. Duck yells and demands that they leave. He soon finds his pond quiet again but maybe a little too quiet. When he discovers that sometimes life calls for a little noise, he changes his tune and his sign to welcome his new friends at 2:00 every afternoon. Exuberant acrylic illustrations highlight the barnyard animals' fun and Mr. Duck's dilemma as he learns the need for friendship and tolerance. Pair this with Doreen Cronin's Giggle, Giggle, Quack (2002) for another look at a take-charge duck.--Leeper, Angela Copyright 2010 Booklist