Click, Clack, Splish, Splash: A Counting Adventure

by Doreen Cronin, Betsy Lewin

Overview

1 farmer sleeping.
2 feet creeping
3 buckets piled high.
4 chickens standing by.

Duck is about to trick poor Farmer Brown once again. While the farmer is sleeping the afternoon away, Duck and the other animals are planning a most unusual fishing trip. Sneaking past Farmer Brown is going to be as easy as 1, 2, 3!

This numerical adventure for the very youngest Duck fans brings counting books to a whole new level -- click, clack, splish, splash!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781599610900
Publisher:	Spotlight
Publication date:	01/28/2006
Series:	Click, Clack Series
Pages:	24
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Doreen Cronin is the author of The Chicken Squad series, Cyclone, and many other New York Times bestselling picture books, including Click, Clack, Surprise!; Click, Clack, Ho, Ho, Ho; Click, Clack, Peep; Click, Clack, Boo!; Dooby Dooby Moo; Thump, Quack, Moo: A Whacky Adventure; Bounce; Wiggle; Duck for President; Giggle, Giggle, Quack; Bloom; and the Caldecott Honor Book Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. Visit her at DoreenCronin.com.

Editorial Reviews

Fast on the webbed feet of Click, Clack, Quackity Quack: An Alphabetical Adventure comes this counting companion, again starring Duck as the instigator of mischievous, though well-intentioned fun. As the farmer naps on the couch near his soothing fish tank ("1 farmer sleeping"), Duck ("2 feet creeping") and the barnyard crew sneak into the house on a hush-hush mission-something that involves "3 buckets piled high" outside the window and "4 chickens standing by." At book's end, readers learn that Duck's master plan was to liberate the farmer's finned friends (a clue is planted on the title page). Though not quite as charming as its abecedarian cousin, this slight volume still offers a comical introduction to numerals one through 10. Lewin's black-outlined menagerie is as breezy as ever, tiptoeing, climbing or splashing through lots of white space to the final destination. Ages 2-5. (Jan.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Those mischievous yet lovable barnyard animals made famous in such Cronin/Lewin classics as Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type and Giggle, Giggle, Quack are at it again. With Duck as the leader, the barnyard animals embark on a special fishing trip while Farmer naps. Starting with "1 farmer napping," the book counts up to "10 buckets in a row," and then counts backwards from 10 to 1 again as the barnyard gang pulls another fast one over on Farmer Brown. But do not assume this is a simple counting book. I read it twice and did not understand it until my teenage daughter pointed out the clues on the title page and first page of the text. Once I got the joke, I found it a fun, zany read. Children are often more observant than adults and may notice the clues immediately, but just to be on the safe side it might be a good idea to talk about the pictures with your young audience as you read. Cronin's sparse text and Lewin's delightful illustrations are sure to make this a book children will ask to be read to them over and over again. 2006, Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster, Ages 2 to 6.
—Pat Trattles

Children's Literature

PreS-K-Some familiar faces from Cronin and Lewin's well-known series that began with Click, Clack, Moo (S & S, 2000) appear in this clever adventure. The farmyard crew is engineering a "fishy" rescue of sorts, releasing 10 fish in 10 buckets while the farmer slumbers. As the animals make their mischief, numbers from 1 to 10 are introduced, beginning with "1 farmer sleeping. 2 feet creeping." The cartoon illustrations have the same great appeal as the previous books and combine successfully with this very basic introduction to numeric concepts. A great tool for parents and teachers seeking to make learning fun.-Rosalyn Pierini, San Luis Obispo City-County Library, CA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Farmer Brown once again bears the brunt of Duck's antics. While he is napping one afternoon, the animals conspire to go on an un-fishing trip. Duck creeps by Farmer Brown on two quiet feet while four chickens keep watch: "5 cows type a note. / 6 goats load the boat." But what's in the buckets the pigs are carrying? Could they be connected to the empty fish tank Farmer Brown finds when he awakens? Young readers will want to read this one again and again, as much for the surprise awaiting Farmer Brown as for the rollicking rhymes and rhythms of the text. Lewin's watercolors again hit the mark, perfectly targeting the youngest audiences. The animals are all large and up-close, focusing the attention on their amusing facial expressions and making it very easy for small fingers to count them both forwards and backwards. A must-have sequel to all of Duck's adventures. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews