Ping knows he'll get a spanking if he's late to get back on the boat where he lives with his family. But one day, he can't help being late. He decides to hide to escape the spanking, but after a day full of adventures, he's realizes he'd rather go back and get spanked than be apart from his family another day.

This book is Realistic Fiction because though it is most likely a made up story, the events could happen in real life. The story is set on the Yangtze river in China. The location of the setting explains why the human characters in the story are Chinese, yet, the story would still have the same lesson if it were set anywhere else. In the story Ping lives with his Mom, Dad, Uncles, Aunts and Cousins. Everyday when they heard the man on the boat make his signal, the whole group of ducks waddled up the ramp unto the boat trying not to be last. The last duck on board got a spanking. One day Ping saw that he was going to be last so he decided to not go on board but sleep by himself onshore. In the morning, he went into the river and tried to find the boat with his family in it. He could not find them and instead, was captured and going to be eaten for dinner by some fishermen. The little boy on the boat had compassion and let him go. He swam back to shore and saw the boat where his family was aboard. He was so happy, he decided to hurry up the ramp, even though he was last, he happily received a spanking in order to be back with his family in safety. The Illustrations are very well done, and the media used is ink and colored pencil.

This realistic and engaging story of an independent little duckling living on China's Yangtze River is a book that I think should be part of every child's reading experience. I've read it to every child in my life and I've never known one who didn't enjoy it. This book was first published in 1933 but I probably fell in love with it somewhere around 1955 when Captain Kangaroo read it on television during his Story Time at the Treasure House.

The Story About Ping is one of several children's picture books written by author/illustrator Marjorie Flack (1897-1958). In this book Ms. Flack teams up with illustrator Kurt Weise and their joint efforts produce a lively, entertaining and suspenseful tale perfect for the 4-8 year old readership.

Set in the fishing culture of the Yangtze River which has remained similar to this day, this book tells about a large family of ducks who live on a houseboat painted with two wise eyes on its bow.

"Each morning as the sun rose from the east, Ping and his mother and father and sisters and brothers and aunts and uncles and his forty-two cousins all marched, one by one, down a little bridge to the shore of the Yangtze River."

They swim around and search for snails and little fish and "other pleasant things to eat" and generally enjoy a leisurely day. At sunset when the boat master calls out to them they must hurry back to the boat. The last duck to cross the little bridge always gets a spank on the back from the boat master's stick.

On the day that Ping finds himself to be in the unenviable position of being last duck home he decides to swim away and hide and as a result he gets left behind in the reeds that grow along the shores of the river. By morning he is already lonely and missing his large family and goes in search of the wise-eyed boat. He has many adventures on his journey and gets himself into some trouble. The readers get to learn more about the culture on the Yangtze while being treated to the suspense and excitement of this little yellow duck's trials.

Marjorie Flack's characteristic simplicity, even repetitiveness in her story telling that in 1947 would earn her a Caldecott Honor for her book The Boats On the River is very evident here as well. It is her honest, straight-forward style that makes the realistic treatment of the ducks and also some fishing cormorants seem interesting. I think her honesty makes for a healthy and broadening experience for very young readers. This is an engaging story without being a sugary, dumbed down story. That being said, however, Ms. Flack also lends a poetic quality to the story and we can easily see and smell and hear the ambiance of the Yangtze River throughout all the phases of the day. It is transporting and lovely.

"Ping hid behind the grasses, and as the dark came and the pale moon shone in the sky Ping watched the wise-eyed boat sail away down the Yangtze River."

I can clearly remember when as a small child I first heard about Ping wanting to avoid being spanked. When I saw his frightened little face and saw him paddling as fast as he could, trying to make it back to the boat in time, my heart was in my throat and I was there with him in spirit when he realized the futility and decided to "run away" instead. I knew even then that I had sometimes felt like running away, too. It gave me something to relate to and to think further about. When Ping encounters other dangers on the river it is just stressful enough to make it a page-turner without it being scary. Ping is, after all, a very plucky little guy and even though we see him getting into some tough scrapes we have the sense that he will pull through...and we can't wait to see how he does it. Three quarters of every page is taken up with an illustration and two or three sentences of text make up the balance of each page. Kurt Weise does such a great job with the crayon, watercolor and ink illustrations that young readers are easily transported to Ping's unique world. There is very good reason that this book is still in print after 73 years!

I think this is a great book for kids now for much the same reasons I loved it initially as a child. It takes children to a different world, takes them out of themselves to empathize with someone else and engages their emotions and their minds while entertaining them. The illustrations convey Ping's feelings so well that children will be on the edge of their seats following his every move. Oh, no, Ping! Watch out! Swim faster!

I can easily recommend this book because I know from lots of experience with many different children, boys and girls alike in the intended readership age group as well as my own childhood experience that kids do in fact consistently like this book. It is quite matter-of-fact about the purpose of these animals and that they are food animals or as in the case of the cormorants in the book they are being exploited as food gatherers but it is conveyed without judgment in such a way that this is only a backdrop. Children can still easily relate to the character of Ping as though he is a being with his own intrinsic worth. For this reason, who knows, it might even lead a child to vegetarianism somewhere down the line. There is lots here to talk about with a child and to me that really makes for a good book. ( )

This is a story about a young duck who avoids punishment by hiding, and ends up almost getting eaten by a family. Once he escapes and finds his way home, he discovers that the little punishment is bearable compared to the idea of almost getting eaten again. ( )

My favorite childhood book. Have now shared it with my children, they love it too. ( )