Duck Gets a Job

PreS-Gr 3—Duck wants a job. All of Duck's friends have corporate-type jobs in the city and suggest that he get one, too. He applies for a boring job, gets an interview, dresses in professional attire, lands the job, and hates it. So he quits. Seemingly out of nowhere, a wall of art appears and it is stated that Duck has always wanted to be an artist. He applies for an art job. The rest of the book mirrors the first job application process but reads like a "how to" for finding the job that's right for you. Although the message of being true to yourself and doing what you love is a good one, the discussion of business dress, pep talks, and job interviews brings the audience for the book into question. Short text and simple sentence structure along with large, mixed-media style illustrations indicate a young audience. Subject matter and text within the illustrations make this better suited to an older audience. Books with more kid appeal about following one's dreams abound.