School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Can an ordinary duck and a strange bird be the best of friends? This question drives the charming debut picture book. Dill, who adamantly proclaims that he is "not an odd duck," meets Bizzy, a strange bird who wishes to be friends with someone equally unusual. Throughout their incredible day of adventuring, including hot dog eating, dancing, and flying loop-the-loops, Dill and Bizzy learn that they are not as different as they first believed. The book explores the idea that everyone is eccentric in their own way by showing that Dill is quite goofy and not as typical as he claims. For example, when Bizzy states that she wishes Dill were an odd duck so they could go on a bike ride, Dill instead pulls out a unicycle. The action follows the same pattern, with Bizzy wishing to do an activity and Dill defying her expectations by doing it in his own way. This element of repetition in the simple, humorous text helps make it an effective read-aloud. Cartoon-inspired illustrations, with a bright palette of turquoise, pink, and yellow, convey motion and movement throughout Dill and Bizzy's adventure-filled day. VERDICT A sweet and buoyant tale of friendship that celebrates being different and shows that everybody is a bit strange deep down.-Kathryn Justus, New Hartford Public School Library, CT © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Dill the duck doesn't think he's anything special-not like Bizzy, who suddenly appears on the scene. She's definitely sui generis, with a scarlet tail fan, quail-like plume on her head, wings like a chicken, a long striped neck, and a face like an ostrich. (She can also yodel.) "I am a strange bird!" she proclaims. Most stories would have Dill learn to let loose under Bizzy's influence, but the more Dill hangs out with Bizzy, the more she and readers see that he is pretty offbeat too-his many talents include juggling peanuts and riding a unicycle. Yet, in what becomes the book's refrain, he refuses to pick up on Bizzy's hints that he is an odd duck, instead insisting that he is "perfectly ordinary." The Ericsons, a sister act making their debut, introduce some intriguing ideas about self-perception and the way it influences how we carry ourselves in the world. While Dill never owns up to being an "odd duck," children will be able to read between the lines and recognize that, deep down, we all have our oddities. Ages 4-8. Agent: Sara Crowe, Harvey Klinger. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Despite initial appearances, a regular duck and a flamboyant bird have a lot in common. Bizzy, an avowed "strange bird," lands in Dill's fountain with a splash, announcing they could be friends if he were an "odd duck." Dill confirms he's just an "ordinary duck," but when Bizzy tells him an odd duck would ride bicycles with her, he jumps on a unicycle. When Bizzy suggests Dill could lunch with her at the pretzel stand if he were an odd duck, he treats her to lunch at the hot dog stand. When Bizzy wants Dill to fly loop-the-loops with her, he executes his own swoops. When Bizzy wants Dill to yodel, he quacks. When she wants him to boogie, he does his duck dance. When she invites Dill to balance bagels on his bill, he juggles peanuts. After a sensational, fun-filled day together, Dill eventually concludes he may be a "tiny bit" odd, while Bizzy decides Dill may just be "extra-ordinary." Rendered in black lines and a perky palette of aqua, red, and yellow, the comic, action-packed illustrations capture the extravagant antics of one amazing duck and one equally amazing bird from dramatic visual perspectives. Not-so-opposites attract in an exuberant, eccentric tale of emerging BFFs. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
