Mr. Duck Means Business

by Tammi Sauer, Jeff Mack (Illustrator)

Overview

What Mr. Duck wants most in the world is a little bit of peace and quiet, but the other animals on the farm simply don’t understand. But as Mr. Duck discovers, sometimes peace and quiet can be just a little bit lonely. And making friends might mean making a little noise. Award-winning author Tammi Sauer presents a simple, short text that emphasizes the importance of friendship in a fun and effective way, with a sweet—but not too sweet—ending that will have children clamoring for repeated readings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442431218
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Publication date:	02/01/2011
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	18 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Tammi Sauer is the author of Mr. Duck Means Business, Mostly Monsterly, Chicken Dance, Cowboy Camp, and other books. She has worked as both a teacher and library media specialist. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband and two children. Visit her at TammiSauer.com.
Jeff Mack has written and illustrated a long list of award-winning picture books, chapter books, and early readers, including the Clueless McGee series, the Mr. Monkey series, Good News Bad News, Hush Little Polar Bear, Duck in the Fridge, and Look!. He lives, works, and sometimes monkeys around in Western Massachusetts. Visit him at JeffMack.com.

Editorial Reviews

Mr. Duck enjoys solitude and follows a strict routine in his pond. "At precisely 8:01, he would glide across the perfectly still water," flanked by hand-painted signs that read "No Visitors Welcome" and "Don't Even Think About It." Everything changes one day when a pig does a cannonball off the dock, disrupting the tranquillity. "Mr. Duck all set to give Pig a strongly worded speech regarding private property," when a delighted cow dives in, too, followed by a goat, horse, and chickens. Mack (Hush Little Polar Bear) plays up both the barnyard crew's aquatic glee (at one point the pig and cow do a synchronized swimming routine) as well as Mr. Duck's party-pooper reactions. Amid the festivities, a fuzzy yellow peep finally notices Duck's displeasure: "Perhaps we've overstayed our welcome." Mr. Duck resumes his routine, but, predictably, feels lonesome. He paints a revised sign allowing "noise" for two set hours every afternoon. The animals' merriment is always tangible, yet the fuddy-duddy's new regulations don't really redeem his preceding grumpiness. Even with his late-in-the-game compromise, Mr. Duck is never quite likable. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"Sauer’s dour and disciplined duck and his rhyming hissy fits will most definitely entertain. Mack’s furry and feathered wide-eyed animals rendered in ebullient acrylic are a great match for this fine farmyard fable." - KIRKUS

"Sauer’s clever use of language–“Mr. Duck grumbled. He mumbled. He flip-flop-fumbled”–will engage children and help soften the getting-along message in a humorous and likable way. Mack picks up on this note, filling the pages with color and action. The expressive characters (especially Mr. Duck) provide amusing touches in illustrations that sprawl across the pages. A pleasing book that offers a viable avenue for discussion about how sometimes compromise is the best way to go.–School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Mr. Duck likes living by himself at the pond. He follows a tight schedule, alone every day year after year, with signs of "No Visitors" clearly posted. But one hot summer day he is startled by a pig's "oink" and "SPLASH!" And although Mr. Duck "sputtered," "muttered," and "tail-a-fluttered," Pig just keeps splashing. Next Cow joins Pig, as Mr. Duck "grumbled," "mumbled," and "flip-flop-fumbled." Cow is followed by Goat and a chick ready to play a wild game of Marco Polo. Duck finally quacks until they get the message. They apologize and thank him for letting them swim. After they leave, Mr. Duck enjoys the quiet for a week. But by Sunday, he is ready for a happy compromise. Mack's acrylic paintings create naturalistic double-page scenes that emphasize the underlying comic behavior of the appealing actors, each with a real personality. Mr. Duck, of course the star of this drama, is presented as a near relative of Donald. On the several pages devoted to his reactions to his uninvited guests, the vignettes of his actions clearly express his emotions. Typography variations add to the appeal of this easy-going fun. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

PreS-Gr 2—A self-proclaimed introvert, Mr. Duck happily entertains himself and finds his pond perfect for a solitary life. One day, however, the neighborhood animals, uninvited, invade his territory; soon Pig, Cow, Goat, and others are reveling in a splashing, crashing, boisterous manner. Mr. Duck demands that they leave and they do (with proper apologies). Soon, however, he finds that solitude is not so great after all. Rethinking the situation, Mr. Duck finds a way to make time for himself and to enjoy his newfound friends. Sauer's clever use of language—"Mr. Duck grumbled. He mumbled. He flip-flop-fumbled"—will engage children and help soften the getting-along message in a humorous and likable way. Mack picks up on this note, filling the pages with color and action. The expressive characters (especially Mr. Duck) provide amusing touches in illustrations that sprawl across the pages. A pleasing book that offers a viable avenue for discussion about how sometimes compromise is the best way to go.—Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA

School Library Journal

Mr. Duck enjoys his solitude and his schedule. 6:00: stretch. 7:00: fluff feathers. 8:01: "glide across the perfectly still water"...until one day cattails obscure the "NO" in his "NO VISITORS WELCOME" sign, and Pig cannonballs in for some fun. "Mr. Duck sputtered. He muttered. He tail-a-fluttered." Pig doesn't get the message. Before Duck can really state his case, Cow dives in for some synchronized water ballet. Mr. Duck tries to let them know just how he feels about the intrusion, but they're joined by Goat, Sheep, Horse, Mouse, Chicken and ten chicks! "[T]he peace and quiet? It. Was. Gone." Mr. Duck snaps, and they finally get it. But after everyone leaves, the quiet eventually gets to him, so he comes up with a plan to save his alone time and still have fun with new friends. Sauer's dour and disciplined duck and his rhyming hissy fits will most definitely entertain. Mack's furry and feathered wide-eyed animals rendered in ebullient acrylic are a great match for this fine farmyard fable. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews