Farmer Duck - Hardcover

Martin Waddell is one of the most acclaimed writers for children of all ages. He has twice won the Smarties Book Prize - for Can't You Sleep, Little Bear? and Farmer Duck as well as the Best Books for Babies Award for Rosie's Babies and the Kurt Maschler Award for The Park in the Dark. Other titles include Who Do You Love?; The Hollyhock Wall; Owl Babies: Night Night. Cuddly Bear; A Kitten Called Moonlight; Tom Rabbit, and many stories for older readers. Helen Oxenbury is one of today's most established popular children's book illustrators. She first won the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1969, and won again in 2000 for her classic and highly acclaimed version of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Other acclaimed works include the First Picture Books and the Tom and Pippo books, and three Smarties Book Prize-winning picture books, Farmer Duck; We're Going on a Bear Hunt and So Much, all three of which were also Highly Commended for the Kate Greenaway Medal. In addition, So Much won the Kurt Maschler Award. Helen is married to illustrator John Burningham and they have three children.

PreSchool-Grade 2-- Waddell's waddler is a real winner. In all kinds of weather, this downtrodden duck hauls in the sheep, tends the hens, and does the housework as well. ```How goes the work?''' the farmer repeatedly asks. ```Quack,''' the duck constantly replies--until all the barnyard animals convene to help the exhausted servant exact revenge and oust the lazy lout. Hilarious art masterfully captures the expressions of the put-upon duck, the supportive cast, and the slovenly ergophobic who reads the newspaper and chomps on bonbons in bed. All the while, the use of subtle shading and light reflect the passing of time on the farm and the serenity of the English countryside. Bled double-page spreads burst with life and vitality in a tale that has undertones of Animal Farm and The Bremen Town Musicians . With its lilting, large-print text and satisying resolution, it's as perfect for beginning readers as it is for story hours. --Trev Jones, School Library Journal
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