Five Little Ducks

Children's Literature

Teachers often bemoan the loss of interest in nursery rhymes because they have traditionally been one of the earliest listening and learning experiences for children. They prepare youngsters for the notions of pattern and rhyme. They are often repetitive, which is both comforting and instructive. They are usually silly, adding an element of humor that makes reading fun. Now some of the favorite nursery rhymes and songs have become small board books with holes, each with a different illustrator. In this case, each hole shows a new animal in the world of a duckling—fish, frogs, eels, insects. As pictures of very big fish and even a fox appear, one wonders if the gradually disappearing ducks have permanently disappeared, but on the last day "five little ducks come wandering back." The illustrations are warm and simple, with somewhat realistic detail for animals like the beetle, dragonfly and eel. Part of the "Board Books with Holes" series. 2001, Child's Play, Ages 3 mo. to 3.
— Karen Leggett