Five Little Ducks

Five Little Ducks

by Pamela Paparone

When her five little ducks disappear one by one, Mother duck sets out to find them.

A beautifully illustrated book based on the classic children's counting song, "Five Little Ducks," this story is a wonderful addition to any two-year-old's collection. The pictures are bright and colorful and flow from one page to the next. Kids will love discovering the progression between pages, including watching Mother Duck pick apples, prepare apple pie and finally share it with her ducklings. With repetitive text, kids will quickly learn the format of the book and read along with you.

With such a catchy rhythm, this is a book that can either simply be read or, for a more creative approach, sung. Children will have ample opportunity to practice counting to five as they add up the number of ducks that return after each verse. There are also a number of other creatures to count, including bunnies, butterflies and birds. Although children may worry about where the ducklings have disappeared to as each time they return with one less than when they began their journey, kids will be extra excited when they see all the ducks reunited over fresh apple pie and a glass of milk.

This story quickly became a favorite for Emily, the three-year-old I babysit. Emily is familiar with the song version of the story and loved having a visual to associate with it. She laughed when she noticed the mother duck wearing red shoes as well as when the ducklings ate their pie with forks, both things she said that ducks don't really do. After reading through the book several times she began to notice the little details, such as the painting that the mother duck made while at the pond ended up being hung in the living room a couple of pages later.

--Abby