My Brother the Duck

PreS-K–Based on several observations, Stella, a budding scientist, thinks her baby brother could be a duck. So she sets out to test her hypothesis. Text and illustrations complement each other well in this amusing title. Text reads, “I spotted something odd before he was born. Dad told Mom, ‘You’re waddling. We must be having a duck.’ They laughed. I didn’t.“ lllustrations show a shadow of Stella’s dad and very pregnant mom talking. Other signs include her brother’s name, Drake, which means male duck, and the pacifier that looks like a duck bill. Stella finally convinces herself that having a duck for a brother wouldn’t be so bad after all. The title ends with her beginning to test another hypothesis. Words like hypothesis, evidence, and inconclusive are used in a natural way which helps children build vocabulary.