Keep Up, Duck!

4.6 (2)

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Author(s)

Publisher

Candlewick

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

March 19, 2024

ISBN

978-1536209389

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Young listeners will echo Mama Duck’s irresistible refrain in this noisy, joyful, and bouncy read-aloud about a very clever duckling.

Mama Duck and her ducklings are swimming to the lily pond, but the smallest duck, Puck, is always at the end of the line. As paddleboats splish and splosh by, Puck falls farther behind.“Keep up, Duck!” Mama quacks. Puck looks at the nearby boats and wonders, how can he keep up? He may not swim very fast, but he is determined. Hop! Hop! Plop! Will he have the last laugh? Children will love being in on the cheeky Puck’s sneaky solutions and mimicking all the sound words and the titular catchy chorus.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

Creative Solutions

March 08, 2024

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

3.0

Characters

N/A

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

Keep Up, Duck is about a young duck who finds creative solutions to catch up with the family. The title, pastel color palette, and text all work together to create a gentle and humorous tale. There was also a twist at the end that will bring a smile to your face.
Two plot points did not resonate with me while reading. The first was that the mother would not wait on this duck even though it was trying its best to stay with the family. The second part was all the interference in nature that humans were providing that made it so hard for the duck to keep up. These were presented gently but at their core, they were a bit harsh and made me feel sorry for the duck which was not likely the authors’ intention.
Overall, this tale would go well for fans of Make Way for Ducklings. It is a story that young readers will likely find humorous.

Connie Reid, Site Manager Top 10 Reviewer 539 reviews

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Cute Sibling Story About Overcoming Challenges

March 04, 2024

Overall rating

5.0

Plot

5.0

Characters

5.0

Writing Style

5.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

Mama Duck and her ducklings swim around and pass amazing things to reach their pond. But Little Puck has smaller wings and feet, so he has trouble keeping up with Mama and his siblings. All the while, Mama tells him to keep up, but doesn't slow her pace. Thinking outside of the box, he uses his surroundings to help propel him forward to catch up each time they get too far ahead. It doesn't help that there are a lot of distractions to slow him down even more, but these same distractions give him the edge he needs to do as his mama asks.

KEEP UP, DUCK is a cute story that teaches children that sometimes thinking outside of the box can help them overcome challenges. While Puck is smaller than his siblings, he doesn't let it bring him down. Instead, he pulls out different tricks and hones a different skill set other than swimming. The illustrations are adorable with soft colors and lining. The text is easy enough for early readers to practice with too.

Final Verdict: Overall, this is a cute story that I would recommend to children aged four and up who love ducks and adventure. All the things Puck does brings an added humor to the story that helps hold a child's interest while making them smile.