Little White Duck

Lyrics by Walt Whippo

Illustrator: Joan Paley

"There's a little white duck sitting in the water, a little white duck doing what he oughter." For those of us who grew up listening to this song, it was nice seeing a new brightly illustrated book version. The cheery collages that illustrate Little White Duck make this a charming board book for little ones. I especially liked the embossed details on the cover. And, if you sing the text, the song element catches the listener's ear. For older children though, you really have to know the song for the story to work. If it's read as a straight story, having one character eat another is a little surprising (and dismaying) for young children. It's also a little hard for them to get the joke at the end where the singing mouse is mourning the empty pond. My daughter kept saying, "This is supposed to be funny, right?" She wasn't sure it was. It's mostly a nicely illustrated book for children who already love the song. For them, this would be a winner.