Little Duck

January 15, 2021
Follow Little Duck as she frolics in her pond. Pick up this board book and immediately notice the pleasing matte, cardboardlike texture of the paper. On the book's cover, an illustrated leaf proclaims the materials to be "all-natural," which the publisher attributes to the use of eco-friendly inks and all-recycled paper, a fact that's sure to delight eco-conscious book buyers. Inside is a pitch-perfect toddler tale chronicling Little Duck's mild adventures, from splashing into a pond, spotting a dragonfly, greeting a friendly frog and fish, and briefly losing (and then immediately relocating) her siblings to "cuddles [from] Mama" at the end. A direct, matter-of-fact narration recounts the list of activities, striking the perfect balance between sentences concise enough to hold little ones' attention while adding a smattering of rich vocabulary: "Little Duck is curious and swims closer. The dragonfly's wings glitter brightly in the sun." Collagelike illustrations composed of rounded, unlined shapes make the main character look rather like a cheery rubber ducky while minimal and coarsely textured natural environments are pleasantly atmospheric. Because of the unbleached paper, the colors are rather dull, and the lack of contrast gears this for somewhat older readers. A companion book, Little Fox, is equally gentle but suffers from a static main character and an unfortunate typo that confuses the book's timeline. An environmentally conscious charmer. (Board book. 2-4)

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