Description

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Young listeners will echo Mama Duck’s irresistible refrain in this noisy, joyful, and bouncy read-aloud about a very clever duckling.

Mama Duck and her ducklings are swimming to the lily pond, but the smallest duck, Puck, is always at the end of the line. As paddleboats splish and splosh by, Puck falls farther behind. “Keep up, Duck!” Mama quacks. Puck looks at the nearby boats and wonders, how can he keep up? He may not swim very fast, but he is determined. Hop! Hop! Plop! Will he have the last laugh? Children will love being in on the cheeky Puck’s sneaky solutions and mimicking all the sound words and the titular catchy chorus.

About the Author

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Ivan Bates has illustrated many books for children, including There, There and Just You and Me by Sam McBratney, Do Like a Duck Does! by Judy Hindley, and Grandma Elephant’s in Charge! by Martin Jenkins. This is a special collaboration with his late wife, Rachel Bates. Ivan Bates lives in Norfolk, England.

Praise For…

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Sweet watercolor and colored pencil artwork accompanies rhythmically paced prose from Ivan Bates and the late Rachel Bates. Richly illustrated spreads set the scene. . . the combination of fun sound effects and sweet visuals will keep readers entertained—especially those lucky enough to hear this tale read aloud. Lighthearted, onomatopoetic fare.
—Kirkus Reviews

This winning tale from Ivan Bates and late author Rachel Bates follows Puck, the littlest of Mamma Duck’s fuzzy yellow ducklings, who struggles to keep up with the rest of the brood as they head for the lily pond. . . . Plentiful sound words enhance the panel artwork’s fizzy action as the collaborators champion creative problem-solving throughout a contemporary story in which the duckling makes his own way.
—Publishers Weekly

For preschoolers and kindergartners, this book has the perfect pace, the right amount of suspense, and a satisfying, turnabout-is-fair-play outcome. The text is sparse and full of sound words, with delightful illustrations that convey all the action. . . Story hours will be noisy when children chime in on the last “Keep up!” and they’ll be in for rereadings, too.
—School Library Journal