From School Library Journal PreSchool-Grade 2-As a boy walks along a sidewalk, whistling a tune, he sees an egg just beginning to crack open. A yellow duckling soon pops out and utters a "peep!" When the child "peeps" back, the bird becomes imprinted on him and follows him home. The two do everything together, watching TV, playing soccer, and even going to school. When autumn comes, the now-grown duck sees a flock of fellow birds winging south and exchanges its trademark "peep" for a "quack." Sadly, the boy realizes he must say good-bye to his friend. This nearly wordless picture book ends on an upbeat note when the youngster, out walking again, hears a "mew" and finds a new companion. The flat, full-bleed illustrations have well-defined lines, and the art conveys a lot of feeling in its simplicity. The somber colors suit the tale, which is both bittersweet and heartwarming.Anna DeWind Walls, Milwaukee Public LibraryCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. Read more From Booklist PreS. Luthardt does a lot with a little in this delightful book starring a little duck. A "peep" is heard when a young boy finds an egg and watches it crack open, and the duckling inside continues to say "peep" as he follows the boy home. Soon the duck is watching TV, and he is peep-peeping as the boy plays soccer. But one autumn day, the boy and the duck see other ducks in flight, and suddenly, instead of "peep," there is "quack." It's time to let the duck go, and the bird seems happy with his new friends at the pond. The boy is sad though--until he hears "mew." The nearly wordless text (pretty much reduced to "peep" and "quack") is neatly set on pages of sturdy artwork that emphasizes shape and strong colors instead of decoration or design. Little ones will have to stretch their brains a bit to make connections here between facial expressions, actions, and words, but that makes this all the more useful. Ilene CooperCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Read more See all Editorial Reviews
