Little Quack's Bedtime
Lauren Thompson, Derek Anderson
Paperback
(Scholastic, Jan. 1, 2006)
Little Quack and his siblings, Widdle, Waddle, Piddle, and Puddle, are back in this delightful tale that is sure to please even the pickiest of bedtime procrastinators. Mama Duck is trying to get her offspring to sleep when they spy something going "blink! blink! blink!" on the pond. She looks and sees five sleepy fireflies, "winking 'good night.' That's what is blinking in the dark. Now it's sleepy time, little ducklings." Widdle closes her eyes, but the others hear "whooo! whooo! whooo!" in the distance. Mama reassures her brood that the sound is part of the natural surroundings, whispering good night in its unique way, and that "Now it's sleepy time, little ducklings." Each time, for every reassurance she gives, another duckling nods off, until only Little Quack is left awake, needing some special comfort before drifting off to sleep. Turquoise blues and greens, shadowy grays and soft blacks, and the fuzzy yellowness of Little Quack and his siblings (replete with individual plumage) act as a soothing blanket, surrounding readers with warmth.
J