Ducking for Apples

PreS-K—Berry and Nakata's troupe of daring ducklings returns with a new set of adventures in this rhyming story. The youngsters are celebrating a beautiful autumn day by hopping on their bikes, sans training wheels, and riding to an apple tree where they pick apples for pie and cake. They return home where they bake and eat their dessert and, exhausted and content, curl up on the hearthside rug and drift off to sleep. Berry's playful language and appropriate humor enliven the text and the jaunty rhythms and rhymes make this picture book ideal for group sharing. Math concepts are subtly sprinkled throughout, and slightly older readers will delight in the opportunities to count and practice basic addition skills. Delicate, yet comical illustrations complement this lively story; Nakata deftly portrays the ducklings' silliness and exuberance through delightful watercolors. This ducky picture book fits the bill.—Shawn Brommer, South Central Library System, Madison, WI