Duck and Cover

Max the duck is the popular protagonist of Jackie Urbanovic's series of wonderfully illustrated children's novels. In her latest installment Max befriends an alligator, Harold, that has escaped from the zoo. Harold comes to Max and Irene's house, asking them to help him hide from the zoo detective. Harold says he didn't mean to but he ate a little girl's pet! All of the animals at Irene's house immediately become frightened of Harold and try to hide from him. Everyone except Max, that is. The brave duck steps forward and offers to help Harold because he remembers how Irene once helped him.

Max convinces the other animals, cats and dogs, bunnies and birds, that Harold is not a threat to them and they all work together to hide the large show more green alligator so that he doesn't get in trouble with the zoo authorities. The illustrations of the animals are soft and rounded, with vibrant coloring, making them very cute and appealing. The anthropomorphic designs and almost-human exclamations will also appeal to young readers. Although the illustrations appear somewhat childish, the text of the story is quite long and slightly advanced. I would recommend this picture book for children ages six through ten. show less

I could never have this many rescue animals in one house, but the charm of the stories rely on Irene's boundless generosity. I appreciate how the young reader is shown that the alligator will eat all the groceries Irene could possibly buy, without actually talking about that part of the problem. And the ending is cute.

An especially chaotic, fast-paced, funny, and heartwarming adventure in the lives of Max and friends.

I love Max the duck. He's so enthusiastic, so eager for new experiences. Plus, he has that hilarious little tongue thing going on. Max's new adventure is just as hilarious as his last - a new animal has shown up asking Irene for shelter. Unfortunately, not all the animals want an alligator around! But Max remembers when he was scared and lost and they helped him...and he is determined to help this new friend! In the end, all turns out well and their new friend Harold has a happy ending.

One of the funniest parts of the book is the cats' reactions to the alligator. They're definitely skeptical of his "friendliness" and it shows!

Verdict: There are lots of great noises and expressions to make this a wild and wacky read-aloud. Yay for show more Max!

ISBN: 0061214442; Published January 2009 by HarperCollins (out of print); Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library; Added to my personal wishlist show less

Harold, a zoo alligator who was accused of eating someone's pet, pleads for help at Irene's house. Irene and all of her pets are terrified of Harold because he looks big, scary, and hungry. Max, a duck, knows what it feels like to plead for help so he decides that he wants to do Harold a favor. After convincing Irene to let him in the animals try to hide Harold from the police who are looking for him. Harold is very nice but the animals and Irene are still scared so they keep him very well fed. Later, a policeman comes to the door and says that there has been a mistake. Harold did not eat a pet dog he ate a girl's hot dog. Harold is no longer in trouble so he goes home to the zoo despite how he does not want to leave his new family. show more This is a story of new friendships and learning to create friendships with people that may not have many friends due to their appearance or history. I would like to share this book during story time and have students use a lot of prediction because there are many instances where readers will naturally ask themselves "What will happen next?" I would like to have students explore the theme of "do not judge based on appearance" through drawing a picture of a scary monster but then explaining what makes the monster's personality so nice, just like Harold. show less

If an alligator shows up at your front door, would you help him or run away? Max, unlike the others in the house, decides to help out Harold because he knew how he felt, "in trouble and alone." So, Max was courageous and was the first to welcome the big alligator. Then, convinced the others to help out Harold, too. Together, they were all friends to Harold during his time of need. This book is wonderful for demonstrating how to be brave and stand up for someone, even if no one else is. It is important to teach children how to join together to help each other, just as the group of friends did in this wonderfully written, as well as illustrated, picture book by Jackie Urbanovic.

Irene and her pets take on another animal, this time an alligator! Max knew what it was like to be the new one, so advocated for the alligator. At first, all of the animals were scared, but as the days went on, they knew if they kept Harold full and hidden, he would be a great addition. He ended up not wanting to leave his new home, but had to go back to the zoo. This book also teaches children a lesson on being friendly and accepting to everyone.

I've decided that it doesn't matter what I think - it only matters if kids will read a book, and let me just say, that they loved Max the duck. I chuckled; the kids laughed out loud. Max's adventures begin with [b:Duck at the Door|426085|Duck at the Door|Jackie Urbanovic|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174642139s/426085.jpg|415143]. Instead of flying south one Winter, he wants to see if he'll love it as much as he does Spring. All of his feathered friends leave him behind and he is left in a winter blizzard. Max is accepted into Irene's house of many pets and settles right in, much to the dismay of the other animals! When Winter comes again, all the other animals miss Max, but does he miss them?!? The adventures continue with [b:Duck show more Soup|2619209|Duck Soup|Jackie Urbanovic|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1213109928s/2619209.jpg|2643867], another book accepted by the kids, and finally with the latest book, [b:Duck and Cover|6185140|Duck and Cover|Jackie Urbanovic|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51tlZw+8qiL._SL75_.jpg|6365365]. Go quackers! Check out Max :) There are some fun downloadables on Urbanovic's website too. show less