Mirra Ginsburg
1 Scooty scoot scoot
It probably would have made more sense to name this book, "The Duckling and the Chick" rather than the other way around, but I guess there's no accounting for taste. In this world there are picture books written for every worry, hope, fear, and joy a child could conceive of. One of the more realistic dramas children face is the appearance of a new sibling. Now, there are some great picture books out there on the subject. There's "Ginger" by Charlotte Voake and "Julius, the Baby of the World" by Kevin Henkes, but long before either of these modern classics were written there was "The Chick and the Duckling". It's a kind of sibling-worship tale taken to its logical extreme and illustrated by the incredible Jose and Ariane Aruego.
One day a duckling hatches out of its shell with a triumphant, "I am out!". Immediately following out of its own shell is a small chick who is quick to add, "Me too". For every action the duckling takes, the chick is right behind to copy. If the duckling wishes to find a worm, the chick finds the same one. If the duckling wants to catch a butterfly, the chick catches one too. Finally the duckling announces its intention of going for a swim. Quicker than you can say, "Me too", the chick (having forgotten, I guess, that chicks are not waterfowl) sinks to the bottom of the pond. Patiently the duckling retrieves the sodden ball of yellow fuzz before announcing, "I'm going for another swim". "Not me", replies the wiser and now butterfly-distracted chick.
This book could probably be a good way of letting younger siblings know to give their older adored brothers and sisters a little breathing space now and again. After all, they don't want to end up like a half-drowned chicken, do they? What is interesting in this story is that the duckling at no point shows even the slightest annoyance with its close yellow shadow. The duck even goes so far as to rescue its oppressor, leading to a happy ending for one and all. If the book strikes a familiar cord with you, it may be because this pairing of Russian author V. Suteyev and the Aruego illustrators is not a new one. An equally interesting and delightful creation is their intriguing, "Mushroom in the Rain", which I highly recommend. Illustrator Jose Aruego also created the slightly better known, "Leo the Late Bloomer", a book which has been comforting the slow learners of the world for years and years. In this particular outing, the Aruegos have not imbued this book with as much color or originality as "Leo". Just the same, there is a great deal of life and humor to the pictures. From the bright and colorful pink, yellow, and orange flowers that cluster in the fields to the pink, purple, and orange butterflies that dot the skies, the book is awash in movement, energy, and color.
A classic to its bones, "The Chick and the Duckling" remains in the readers' mind long after the tale has ended. A delightful way to teach kids about space, siblings, and getting along with others. Fine frolicsome reading.
2 Great for Early Childhood students.
This book is great for showing how chicks and ducks are the same, and different, in an entertaining way. It is an emergent reader book, that uses repetition and predictability to help young readers along. My Kindergarten class really loves this book. I've seen it in Big Book format, but can't find it here. Oh, well! Buy this one if you don't have it.
3 A lesson to learn by imitating!
I really enjoyed reading this story to my students and working with activities that went along with the book. For example miming the action words in the book, drawing, and writing a book report. This is wonderful story about a chick and a duck who hatch at the same time and become friends. The chick imitates the duck until the duck goes for a swim. However, the chick attempts to swim, but can't and is rescued by the duck. The Chick realizes that it is ok not to do everything the duck does. The duck can go for a swim with out him. The moral of the story, sometimes it is perfectly ok to imitate, but at other times be yourself, do your own things and have your own ideas.
4 The chick copied the duckling until it sank in the water.
Ashleigh favorite part was when the chick sank. It makes me feel like I can save my friend. Ashley liked the part when the duckling dug a hole. I liked the illustrations.
