Ivan Bates

Don’t Give Up!

Little Puck is the youngest duck in his family. His feathers are still downy, and he has little feet, making it hard to swim fast. When Mamma Duck sets out for the lily pond with all the other bigger ducklings, Puck ends up swimming at the back, and gets farther and farther behind.

Mamma Duck often turns back and quacks to Puck, “Keep up, Duck!” Try as he might, Puck falls even further behind. But Puck doesn’t give up, even though he has a lot of obstacles. Instead, he show more comes up with many ideas to catch up. He is determined to reach his family.

This is a sweet story that will have little ones cheering Puck on, while giggling at the things he does to keep pace. Children will identify with Puck, and how hard it can be to keep up with the family. In the end, not giving up saves the day, and results in a surprise. This tender tale was written and illustrated by a husband-and-wife team, who made this picture book a treat for the eyes and ears.

Two-to-seven-year-olds will enjoy this five-star tale, leaving them with the idea to never give up!

Thank you, Candlewick Press, for providing Tickmenot with a book to review. Opinions are my own. show less

The same idea has been done before, but better. The aww.." factor doesn't justify another 16.00 purchase of a book about the commonalities of babies and farm animals, especially since almost no children live on a farm anymore!"

The story of “All by myself” is a tale of a loving mother elephant allowing her child to do things for herself. All children come to a certain point in their life when they are excited to try things for themselves and learn to be more independent. Maya the baby elephant watched every morning as her mother got their breakfast and decided that it is time for to do it as she says “All by myself”. Maya tries and tries till she succeeds even after numerous people offer to help her out. show more The thing that I really liked was that the mother let her child explore and do something on her own because she knew that she has to learn firsthand. The mother didn’t step in until her daughter felt helpless and she still let her do it she only helped a little. show less

One by one, five little ducks wander away from their mother, leaving Mother Duck very sad. It is her sad quacking that brings all the wandering ducklings wandering back to her.

This children’s book is an appealingly illustrated retelling of the song “Five Little Ducks” and the tune is included in the book. Young children will be delighted to see one of their favorite little songs come to life in the pages of this book.

Highly recommended.