Review by Booklist Review
Ages 2^-6. Here's a delightful book offering loads of fun with the number seven. Playful ducklings show all the ways the sum of seven can be reached. The cut-paper double-spread collages, in rich hues of blue, green, and brown, first picture a row of seven ducklings for children to count. Six ducklings slide down one side of a bank as the seventh slides down the other, giving a visual representation of how six plus one makes seven. Five ducklings play peek-a-book on one side of a spread; two play on the other, and so on. All six ways of reaching the sum of seven are presented. On the last pages the ducklings fly away. This charmer should have little ones figuring out the basic concept of addition in no time. --Shelley Townsend-Hudson
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"Seven ducklings splash and play in different combinations that introduce basic addition. Collage art fills the jungle and pond life scenes with a riot of colors and textures," noted PW. Ages 2-5. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Seven uniquely marked ducklings slide, chase bees, and play peekaboo as they group on double-spread pages to illustrate ways to add up to their sum. "Splashing as they leap and dive/7 ducklings, 2 plus 5" shows five swimmers opposite two divers. Jaunty scenes in cut-paper collage with a gracious array of colors offer plenty of extras, including a pair of ladybugs that accompany the ducks throughout except for the V-formation at the end. The art successfully captures the birds' camouflage and rippling water with speckled papers, but this effect sometimes turns the counting exercise into a seek-and-find challenge. Still, the book is attractive, and children will have fun with it.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Jaunty rhyming couplets describe the actions of seven ducklings and the different ways to count to seven: Slipping, sliding, having fun / 7 ducklings, 6 plus 1. Baker cleverly uses double-page spreads to demonstrate the concept of addition, featuring one group of ducklings on the left-hand page, the sum-completing remainder on the right. Playful, textured cut-paper illustrations seem to fly off the pages. From HORN BOOK Spring 2000, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Baker (Big Fat Hen, 1994, etc.) engages in more number play, posing ducklings in every combination of groups, e.g., ``Splashing as they leap and dive/7 ducklings, 2 plus 5.'' Using a great array of streaked and dappled papers, Baker creates a series of leafy collage scenes for the noisy, exuberant ducklings to fill, tucking in an occasional ladybug or other small creature for sharp-eyed pre-readers to spot. Children will regretfully wave goodbye as the ducks fly off in neat formation at the end of this brief, painless introduction to several basic math concepts. (Picture book. 4-6)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
