Duck, Duck, Moose!

PreS-Gr 3—Using the three words of the title, Bardhan-Quallen tells a story filled with slapstick antics. Two ducks and a moose live together. After spilling his coffee and overturning his chair, Moose is out the door, while the ducks spend the morning cleaning and preparing lunch. When Moose races home, however, he crashes through the living room wall and into the carefully set table. When the birds set up their sculpture and painting, he manages to knock everything over. But after he topples a large, lovely cake they have just decorated, the exasperated ducks banish him from the house. Still the exemplary friends begin again, decorating, cake-making, and then going out to coax Moose to return. He does, to find a surprise party just for him. So all ends well…at least until the final page turn. The bright cartoon illustrations, heavily outlined in black, add to the fun. Spot images across spreads depict the ducks' meticulous cleaning and cake-baking activities. A small view of Moose striding toward the cake, his head in a book, provides youngsters with an opportunity to predict an inevitable disaster before they turn the page. Each scene of havoc appears with "Moose!" written in large colorful letters. Good fun that gives a whole new meaning to the word "duck."—Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT