Review by Booklist Review
There's something inherently fun about socks, a fact that has not been lost on this bunch of sock-wearing, dancing ducks. The Duck Sock Hop comes but once a week, and in preparation, Ducks pull socks from a big sock box: / Socks with stripes / and socks with spots, / socks with squares / and socks with dots. After each brightly hued duck chooses a pair, they warm up by wiggling and stretching their beaks for the big event. Duck Sock Hop madness involves line dancing, accordion playing, and plenty of sock wear and tear (Ducks drop crumbs, / ducks spill juice. / Socks get sticky, / socks get loose). Fortunately, there's a Duck Sock Shop open to replenish supplies. The rhymes here are rollicking, alliterative, webbed-foot-tapping fun, and debut illustrator Porter's heavily lined, brightly patterned art extends the ducks' sheer joy. The funniest thing about the art? Giant socks housing skinny duck legs. This begs for a shoes-off storytime with toddlers doing some wiggling of their own.--Kelley, Ann Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This rhyming whimsy stars a crew of dancing ducks whose webby feet are made even happier by donning all kinds of sprightly socks, including "Socks with stars and socks with moons,/ socks with cars and socks with spoons." No matter that socks prove more of a hindrance than a help when it comes to dancing (the sock hop results in "big duck flops!" and trips to the first-aid station); at book's end, the dancers are back at the Duck Sock Shop to pick up new pairs for the next soiree. Debut illustrator Porter is better at portraying the ducks pre- and post-dance than in the act-her ducks aren't quite rubbery enough to convey dance moves and pratfalls. But they're still an engaging, eye-catching bunch, rendered in bold black outlines and playful silkscreen-like patterning that's an inventive visual riff on feathers. Kohuth's (Estie the Mensch) verse offers plenty of read-aloud pleasure, giving readers the immense satisfaction of saying "socks" and "ducks" over and over. Ages 3-5. Agent: Becca Stumpf, Prospect Agency. Illustrator's agent: Philippa Milnes-Smith, Lucas Alexander Whitley. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Here's a picture book to start a happy hullabaloo at storyhour, to get the little ones rocking and reeling. It all starts with a sock box, and so can your program. The lively illustrations, beautifully textured with handprinted patterns, add energy and rhythm to this peppy stop-and -start rhyming, alliterative text. "Ruffled, lacy,/Jeweled deluxe./Left sock, right sock,/socks on ducks." Once a week, the ducks get their sock box, pick out their favorite socks, of which there are many fun variations-moons, spoons, cars with button wheels, as well as the usual stripes and polka dots-and have a classic sock hop with old-timey musicians. They rollick and roll, get messy and hurt, and do it all again next week. There's not much plot here, just good times and homey illustrations with the typeface dipping and rising in tune. The bold India ink used to make the outline of each duck adds to their expressiveness. Many inventive layouts keep the pictures interesting and add rhythm, a fitting accompaniment to the writing. "Socks go S T R E T C H./Socks go RIP!/Ducks teeter,/tumble,/twist,/and trip." A good purchase for libraries in need of picture books for interactive, movement-oriented read-alouds.-Sara Lissa Paulson, American Sign Language and English Lower School PS 347, New York City (c) Copyright 2012. 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
A flock of cheery duck friends gather their favorite socks--be they striped, spotted, or "ruffled, lacy, jeweled deluxe"--for their weekly Duck Sock Hop. The jaunty read-aloud rhymes bounce through the pages as the dance turns into a rambunctious mess; the attractive black-outlined ducks are filled in with multicolored feather-like patterns that make them pop off the pages. (c) Copyright 2012. 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
Put on your jazziest socks and get ready to bop, cause it's duck hop time! In syncopated rhymes, this "quackerjack" of a silly story will have toes tappin' and little hands clappin'. "Ducks pull socks from a big sock box:" socks with stripes, spots, squares, dots, stars, moons, cars and spoons. "Warm up, wiggle, stretch your beak. / Duck Sock Hop comes once a week." The music starts, and "[t]hree ducks boogie, one duck rocks. / Two ducks stop and trade their socks." With each spread, the dancing ducks get livelier and more animated, until the music stops and they all need new socks. The bright colors of the illustrations paint different patterns on each duck, entirely separate from their wild and crazy socks. Set against white backgrounds, they pop and rock with the rhythm of the rhymes. Ready made for wonderful fun at story time (sock theme, anyone?) or as one rollicking lap read, but be prepared, as kids will flock to hear it again. And after just one or two reads, they will be chanting along with the adults. A webbed-foot folly that makes a tale most jolly. (Picture book. 3-5)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
