ALA Booklist

Big Duck, her brother Little Duck, and their friend Porcupine go on a picnic, and when it starts to rain, Little Duck cheerily shows the others how to have fun anyway (hint: puddles). Then Big Duck tries to remember something important while ignoring all of Little Duck's nonverbal clues. When the friends decide to go camping, Big Duck's lengthy list of stuff to take ranges from necessities, such as sleeping bags and flashlights, to crazy things such as snow shovels, easy chairs, and more, but Little Duck knows what's really important. Each two-page spread works as a single comic book panel, with colorful, bold, thick-outlined shapes and easy-to-read large type on simple backgrounds. Yoon's choice to keep Little Duck mute fantastic lesson in the humor in contrast ts up great opportunities for little ones to practice reading visual context clues. With much of the meaning in body language and actions rather than text, this is a wonderful introduction to the comic book format for early readers and prereaders, and an entertainingly silly trio of stories, to boot.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Three friends-Big Duck, Little Duck, and Porcupine-star in a trio of stories that blend elements of picture books, chapter books, and comics. Told entirely through dialogue between Big Duck and Porcupine (Little Duck never speaks, though his beady eyes say plenty), two stories follow the friends- efforts to go picnicking and camping; rain disrupts the first outing, and Big Duck-s 100-item packing list threatens the other. In the remaining story, Big Duck, who gets the most personality in these tales, attempts to remember something she has forgotten (Porcupine-s birthday). Chunky, vividly colored digital cartoons create a sunny environment for the friends (even when the sun-s not out), and the focused dialogue and lighthearted exchanges make each story approachable. Ages 5-7. Agent: Jamie Weiss Chilton, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (May)

Horn Book

Big Duck has lots of ideas but not much sense; Porcupine follows her lead; Little Duck is always one step ahead of them both. Little Duck never speaks, but glances to the audience humorously invite readers' commiseration. Bright colors, heavy outlines, and minimal backgrounds keep attention on the simple action and characters' interactions through three chapters. A fresh and funny addition to easy-reader shelves.

School Library Journal Starred Review

PreS-Gr 1 This wonderfully engaging easy reader, starring the titular trio, is divided into three short chapters. The two duck siblings and their purple porcupine pal go on an all-weather picnic, celebrate Porcupine's birthday in style (well, eventually), and gather all of the things they need for a campout. The stories are told almost exclusively in dialogue, with the large-font, bold black type set in white speech bubbles. The simply drawn digital cartoon characters exude personality and charm and provide plenty of sight clues with the subtle change of expression. The backgrounds and accoutrements are so minimal as to appear as props on a stage, and the black framing of each spread feels like a proscenium. VERDICT This collection of small dramas is just right for fledgling readers and perfect for read-alouds and reader's theater productions. More Duck, Duck, Porcupine, please. Luann Toth , School Library Journal