This story helps with the ending sound "uck" by using it repeatedly throughout the story. It also teaches children what the meaning of the word "muck" is.

Hazel Rochman (Booklist, April 15, 2000 (Vol. 96, No. 16))
A good, very first reader, this tells a funny slapstick story in just a few monosyllables about ducks that escape from trucks stuck in muck. Kids will see that the sounds of the words are a joyful part of reading. The physicalness of the story is there in the clear, brightly colored pictures that show how the ducks get unstuck from all those big trucks and the helpless adult drivers looking on. This makes a great read-aloud for very young preschoolers, too, especially all those fans of trucks and muck. Okay, there's not much variety in this Step into Reading title, but that's exactly the appeal of a first book. 2000, Random, $3.99. Gr. K-1. ( )

Part of the "STEP into Reading" series, this book is intended for children just beginning to read. The story is about ducks that are put into cages on trucks that get stuck in the mud. Wild ducks help the caged ducks escape and fly away. The words are relatively easy, the type is large and the story repetitiously rhymes. Children may have a hard time remembering to call the mud "muck," if they use the picture cueing system. Some of the sentences are controlled to rhyme so much that the story reads awkwardly in places. The vibrant illustrations correlate well with the text, which will help with reading prediction skills.
Lisa Hillstrom (Children's Literature)