Like the star of Cecil's Gator, Duck is a carousel creature who longs for a new spin on life she yearns to fly like the flocks she sees flapping by. When a wayward duckling adopts Duck as a mentor and friend, Duck rises to the occasion, literally, by teaching her young charge to fly. As Duckling succeeds at his lessons, however, Duck realizes that she risks never seeing her friend again.Cecil employs simple sentences and brief exchanges to infuse his quirky duck-out-of-water scenario with a plethora of universal emotions: 'Now remember to be polite,' she said to Duckling as she straightened some of his new feathers. 'You're going to do fine.' Cecil's finely brush-textured oil paintings, a mix of round spot illustrations and full-page scenes, present a Victorian-looking amusement park, which after the opening page is devoid of children, thus contributing to a mood of mysterious after-hours magic. In what has become the artist's signature style, dusky hues grays, greens, browns, golds prevail, helping draw attention to the whiteness of the ducks' wide wings. Ages 3-5. (Feb.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

K-Gr 3 Duck is a carved carousel animal whose wooden wings are not meant for flying. After the park closes for the night, she steps down from her post and roams around. One spring day, a lost duckling finds her, and they begin to spend all their time together. As Duckling grows, Duck teaches him what he needs to know, but she cannot teach him to fly though she tries. She uses her scarf to secure him on her back and sets out to find real ducks. Duckling's small wings carry them both into the sky, but Duck's weight is too much for him. She lets go of the scarf, hitting the ground with a thud, and he flies away. The winter is long and lonely for her, but in the spring Duckling returns, still wearing the scarf. Before he rejoins his flock, he helps Duck climb onto his back and shows her how it feels to fly. Cecil's illustrations, as in the companion book, Gator (Candlewick, 2007), are done in oils. Duck, with her bright, striped scarf, stands out against soft green and gold hues. Many of the paintings are in circles of various sizes on a white background with a gold frame. What could have been a sentimental tale becomes instead a beautifully realized friendship story with a happy ending. Like Opus in Berkeley Breathed's A Wish for Wings That Work (Little, Brown, 1995), Duck at last flies because of her good heart and a friend who makes her dream come true. Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Returning to the scene of his book Gator (2007), Cecil here introduces another of the animals, Duck. Duck's dream is to fly, but with wooden wings. He's happily distracted when he meets little Duckling, but eventually Duck realizes his pal needs to learn how to fly. The question is: How is he going to do that? Much of the sentiment here will appeal more to an adult than a child, especially the way Duck must let Duckling go and try his wings. Then there's the climactic moment when full-grown Duckling reappears; now it's his turn to take Duck on his back and show him what flying is all about. Cecil's varied design keeps visual interest. Some pictures are full page, some are round cameos in frames, and still others are impressive two-page spreads. The animals are charmers, and though the message may be lost on children, they will still respond to the warmth and love that the ducks feel for each other. Cooper, Ilene. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.