Ducks Away by Mem Fox Ill. By Judy Horacek, 2016
Told in rhyme, a mother and her five
ducklings take turns falling into the water as they try to cross a bridge. Great for counting and reinforcing the 5 fact family.
Pete the Cat
Five Little Ducks by James Dean, 2017
Told in lilting rhyme, Pete keeps losing
ducks, from five to one (subtraction!) and then they all return. Cute and simple.
Double the
Ducks by Stuart J. Murphy, ill.
by Valeria Petrone, 2003
“I” has five little ducks to care for with
his two hands, three sacks of feed, and four bundles of hay. When they return from a walk one day, they
each bring a friend, so since the ducks are doubled, so must the provisions be
doubled. Great for teaching the concept of “doubling.”
Probably the best book about ducks and ducklings
ever written, the story follows Mrs. and Mrs. Mallard as they find a place in
Boston to birth and raise their eights children. 68 pages, but not a 68-pages worth of text….
It’s Quacking
Time! By Martin Waddell ill. By Jill Barton, 2005
A duckling discovers that his parents have
an egg ready to be hatched, and Auntie Duck, Grandpa Duck, and Cousin Small
Duck all share in his excitement waiting for the big moment.
(Great for counting and
adding…there’s one great illustration where all four ducks and the two duckling
are staring down at the egg…having some whiteboard ducks and ducklings to
manipulate would work beautifully here during a storytime.
Goodnight, My
Duckling by Nancy Tafuri, who
also illustrated, 2005
Short and sweet, one little duckling floats
far behind his mother and seven siblings, being greeted by many of his neighbor
creatures, as they float home for bedtime.
Have You Seen My Duckling? Written and illustrated by Nancy Tafuri, 1984
Almost wordless, we watch a mother duck and seven of her eight ducklings looking everywhere for her stray eighth duckling, which you can always see somewhere on the page. Bosler has
*Goodnight, My Duckling is a companion book to the first, Have You Seen My Duckling? I’m only going to have time for one of them during my Duckling Storytime, so I’m going to use the second, Goodnight, My Duckling, which has a few more words and is very cute.
I’m a Duck by Eve Bunting ill. By Will Hillenbrand, 2018
Told in rhyme and the point-of-view of a
duckling that is afraid to swim, we share his friend’s and family’s excitement
when he finally dares to try.
Puddle’s New
School by Amber Stewart Ill by
Layn Marlow, 2010
Although Puddle and his two friends have
been a bit envious watching other ducklings headed for school, they’re a little
nervous when their own time come. But
Mama Dick has done many things to ensure that Puddle has a great transition.
The Other
Ducks by Ellen Yeomans ill. By Chris
Sheban , 2018
This Duck and That Duck are truly
clueless, thinking their shadows are friends, not knowing how to swim or fly or
even about the babies they eventually have…it was cute and funny, but somehow not
enough true information for young kids.
Come Along,
Daisy! Written and illustrated by
Jane Simmons, 1997
Super simple story about a duckling that straggles
behind its mother while swimming down a stream, and for one short moment feels alone
but discovers her turning around and coming back for him.
Sitting Duck by Jackie Urbanovic, 2010
Max, the duck and Brody, the dog babysit for Anabel, Brody's niece. When Brady falls asleep and Anabel and Max go outside, the antics really begin. Apparently this is the fourth story about Max the Duck. Delightful.
10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle, 2005
A box of ten little rubber ducks fall from a boat as they're being shipped across the ocean, and all have different things that happen to them. A great introduction to ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.).
Explain:
Ducks are birds, and lay eggs
Males are called drakes
Females are called ducks.
Babies are called ducklings
They lay eggs in spring - up to ten or more.
Eggs hatch after four weeks.
Poems/Songs
Five little Ducks
Five little ducks, went out to play (hold up five fingers)
over the hills, and far away, (hold hand to eyebrows)
When the mother duck went “quack, quack, quack”
(motion “quack” with your hand)
Four little Ducks came waddling back. (make wings with arms and move elbows up and down)
Quack,
quack, quack….quack, quack, quack….four little ducks came waddling back.
Continue to count down until there are no little ducks then
sing:
Ask:
One nest, one egg, how
many feet walked away?
One nest two eggs, how
many feet walked away?
One nest, three eggs, how many
feet walked away?
Activities:
Kids cut ducklings from outlined figures on yellow construction paper. Glue onto 9 / 12 white construction paper that they've sponged with blue "water."
Have a bucket of plastic eggs and some baskets with numbers between 1 and 10 (depending on ages of kids). They count out the correct number of eggs to put in each basket.
