Ducky Duckling finds all the activities it can do in the rain make it happy.In her signature style of cheery, vibrantly colored illustrations outlined in black, Cousins introduces a new character to her repertoire in the form of bright yellow Ducky Duckling. Readers soon find out that when Ducky Duckling feels happy it says (in bold, display type), "Quack, quack, quack!" And that is exactly what the happy little duckling says at the end of every double-page spread. "Oh, goody, hooray! / It's raining today. / I'm going to find / my friends to play. / Quack, quack, quack!" In rhyming text accompanied by eye-catching illustrations, readers will find Ducky hopping with a frog, squirming with a worm, hugging a bug and a slug, playing with swans, shaking feathers in the rainy weather, and otherwise just having fun in the rain. Readers will observe what Ducky does not: that the raindrops decrease in number spread by spread. Then: "Oh, no! / The rain has stopped. / No more drips. / No more drops." As Ducky feels sad and goes in search of Dad, the mallard male encourages Ducky to follow the lead of the butterflies and have fun "We'll quack together / whatever the weather. / Hop on my back and / QUACK, QUACK,QUACK!"A sweet addition to the toddler bookshelf. (Picture book. 2-4) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Toddler-PreS-A day in the life of Ducky Duckling. Cousins describes Ducky's day in short declarative sentences using a large font text. The book's size, a generous 10 by 10 inch square format, is well suited for group sharing. Cousins uses her signature painterly style consisting of saturated primary colors with gouache and bold black outlines of animals and objects. However, in sticking to the simplest plot, this story is not as original as Cousins's other books that have been loved over the years, such as her "Maisy" series or Yummy: Eight Favorite Fairy Tales. Nevertheless, toddlers will enjoy the bold artwork and will love repeating the phrase "Quack, quack, quack," which appears on nearly every spread. VERDICT Ducky is bound to make a splash at toddler storytimes.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Ducky Duckling, bright yellow and rotund, is one happy young duck with much to quack about as he makes his way through a rainy day. While it rains, he plays with his many lively friends a frog, a wiggly worm, a bug, a slug, swans, fish, birds, and a mouse and each and every situation calls for a Quack, quack, quack! refrain. However, when the rain stops, Ducky becomes sad, stops quacking, and decides to visit his dad, who cheers him up by suggesting that they Quack, quack, quack! together. With a minimal but energetic rhyming text, a noisy refrain, and illustrations featuring boldly outlined, easily discernible chunky figures set off by crisply colored backgrounds, this is a natural for group read-alouds. All of the characters share Ducky's joy, and even the diverse decorative flora seem to join in the celebration. While there's a fair amount of action, Ducky's interactions with the other animals happen at a measured pace, so it's never overwhelming. Comforting, uplifting, lively, and interactive just what you would expect from Cousins.--Enos, Randall Copyright 2018 Booklist