Duck, Duck, Dinosaur

December 1, 2015
Sibling competition is muffled beneath the wings of loving Mama Duck in this oblique pondside parable. Though the first duckling to hatch, Feather is the most insecure. "I AM big," she boasts, lording it over her drooping younger brother Flap. "I am full of bigness." But then, out of the third, oddly humongous egg in the clutch, comes Spike--a massive green dinosaur whose first, roared word says it all: "BIG!" The tension continues as Feather's claim to be "sweeter" after bringing Mama a flower is trumped when Spike lumbers up with an entire flowering tree ("SWEET!") and culminates, after a splashy dip in the pond, with all three sibs wet and shivering. "That won't do," says Mama. "Who wants a cuddle?" In the ensuing cozy scene, as throughout, Vidal's large, soft-edged, broadly curved figures create an underlying visual harmony that takes the edge off the trio's rivalry. But not only does Spike's outsized presence arrest a slide into blandness, occasional touches such as a final view of Mama Duck with a watering can, sprinkling the pond greenery, add further whimsical elements. Moreover, Mama Duck's equal and unfeigned delight with all three of her hatchlings sits at the story's center, serving as both a worthy model for parents and potential reassurance for sibs unsure of their places in the family pecking order. Ultimately, with differences at least temporarily forgotten, everyone here is, as Spike puts it, "HAPPY!" (Picture book. 3-5)

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July 1, 2016
Mama Duck has three eggs; when they hatch, out come two ducklings and a dinosaur. "'Oh, what a sweet family,' said Mama." Like typical siblings, the hatchlings argue about who's the biggest, sweetest, and funniest. Under Mama's wings, though, "they were all the best." Vidal's bold, bright digital illustrations don't entirely save the story from becoming saccharine.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2018
Ducklings Flip and Flap and their dinosaur brother Spike (from the Duck, Duck, Dinosaur picture books) learn about the world around them with help from Mama. These characters are suited to an easy-reader text (e.g., Flap always says things twice, providing word repetition). With two to three short sentences per page, emergent readers will easily handle these sweet unconventional-family stories.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)