Nine Ducks Nine

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Mr. Fox inevitably gets his comeuppance after spying (hungrily) on a flock of clever ducks in what PW called a "lighthearted" and "merry" counting book in rhyme. Ages 3-up. (Mar.)

Children's Literature - Jan Lieberman

Nine ducks outsmart a slinky fox who pursues them, confident that as least one will wind up on his dinner plate. The plumb ducks tease and taunt Mr. Fox until he falls right into their plan. Crash! Splash! Bye-bye, Foxy. Large, colorful and clearly designed full-page illustrations abound with humor and action. 1996 (orig.

Children's Literature - Karen Saxe

Nine ducks walk down to the river, but a wily fox is right behind! One by one they make their getaway and, in doing so, introduce the young reader to the notion of subtraction. Nice watercolor and ink illustrations evoke the gentle English countryside. 1996 (orig.

School Library Journal

PreS-- An original story that reads like a fingerplay.``Nine ducks nine walked out in line./ Mr. Fox was watching./One duck ran away,/ down to the rickety bridge.'' On each double-page spread, there is one less duck, the fox gets closer, and the bridge becomes more crowded. Finally, Mr. Fox pounces, the bridge breaks, and he falls into the river, after which he ``went home to his den and never chased those ducks again.'' Hayes' slightly overfull watercolor and ink illustrations are endearing. Eight of the nine ducks are white; the yellow-and-black speckled one that resembles a large duckling is, of course, the last to go. On each page, speech balloons allow the ducks to comment, (``Foxes are silly,'' ``He can't see me,'' ``He's coming,'' ``I'm hungry,'' ``I'm off!''). The fox isbig, scruffy, and klutzy--menacing without looking actually dangerous. The text does not flow smoothly, since only one line per page rhymes. The art and story line are, nonetheless, appealing and will be enjoyed by preschoolers. --JoAnn Rees, Sunnyvale Pub . Lib . , CA