Synopses & Reviews
An anxious mother duck leads her brood around the pond as she searches for one missing duckling.
Synopsis
In this classic and bestselling Caldecott Honor winner, a mother duck loses her duckling--and finds it, with the help of sharp-eyed young readers.
"As fresh as spring."--The Horn Book
"Children will return to this one again and again . . . a reassuring story of youthful independence and familial love."--School Library Journal, starred review
" Nancy Tafuri] always manages to flavor her splendid pictures with humor and interesting detail."--The New York Times Book Review
Acclaimed author Nancy Tafuri hides the little duck somewhere on each page--have YOU seen it? This almost-wordless book is both a fun counting game and an exciting hidden-picture hunt for the youngest readers.
Synopsis
An anxious mother duck leads her brood around the pond as she searches for one missing duckling.
About the Author
In Her Own Words...
"It's a wonderful thing being able to go through your life doing exactly what you want to be doing--that's how I feel about both the writing and illustrating of children's books. To know that youngsters will be eager to turn the pages of a book that I have helped form gives me a strong sense of accomplishment and pleasure.
"I adored snuggling up to my mother while she would read (or I read to her) the same favorites over and over. Maybe that, coupled with crayons and endless hours of coloring and the love of nature, has helped form my destined fate.
"I entered the School of Visual Arts to study children's book illustration, though only one course really dealt with the subject itself. The other courses were related, combining graphics, type, painting, etc. I learned enough to know that I had better prepare myself for a graphicsrelated career because you just don't walk out and become a children's book illustrator. It's something that I found I had to work a very long time to achieve.
"In the interim, my husband, Tom, and I formed a graphic design studio, dealing with book jacket design (both trade and paper), photography, logo and movie design. I won't include all my growing pains with children's books but only mention the ultimate highlight. It was when, after numerous rejections-and a great deal of effort--I walked into the offices of Greenwillow and was greeted with smiles, had my portfolio reviewed, and was handed a manuscript.
"It was to me a now-or-never situation and I was petrified. The manuscript was The Piney Woods Peddler. Tom modeled for the peddler, and I spent some months in a stone mill in Millback, Pennsylvania. It was a perfect backdrop for the book, and many of the town residents are pictured.
"So much has passed since then, but a part of me still reacts the same every time I sit down at the drawing board to start a new book. It's that exuberance that comes over me, making every book just like the first one, even after thirty-five books and twenty years.
"My vision has grown since my daughter, Cristina, was born, because I see firsthand how important the early years are. I hope that the feelings I try to project within my booksthrough line, color, shape, and story -- will make a difference to some young lives."