Robert McCloskey - Make Way for Ducklings

I love Caldecott winning books. Make Way for Ducklings also happened to be on a list of recommended books for second graders, so it definitely made its way home from the library for me to read with my son.

This book tells the story of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard, two ducks, who are trying to find a good place to build a nest and lay their eggs. They wanted somewhere perfect with no foxes and lots of food, and no kids riding their bikes. They finally find a good place and the Mallards build their nest and lay their eggs and get lots of peanuts from the humans around the park they've selected. The ducklings are so cute when they hatch and their mother teaches them to swim and dive. But one day the mother takes her ducklings to the public park to meet up with the father. It is quite a trek and the family will need to cross streets, highways, and many sidewalks. Will the ducks make it without any mishaps?

The book is by Robert McCloskey and he tells the story very well. It's interesting and he touches on all the appropriate things that seem important to a duck. The ducks don't talk with people but they have a way of making friends and communicating their needs. The pages each have between a sentence and a paragraph of text. The AR book level is 4.1 which might be a bit high for younger kids to read on their own, however I think it will appeal to young children who like babies animals and don't want to see them get hurt. I'd recommend the book for 3 to 8 year olds. The ducklings are very cute and there is a lot to see on each page, in addition to reading the text.

The illustrations won the book the Caldecott Award in 1942 and while they are created in only brown and white they are very well done. They are quite realistic and the little ducklings are adorable. The last one in line is always running to catch up, sometimes with his little mouth open probably quacking to say, wait up! I liked the way the humans looked too, some were surprised, some were happy, some have looks of "aww aren't they cute" on their faces. The artwork is very well done, and deserving of the award. With the great artwork and engaging story, I highly recommend this book.

Recommend this product? Yes