Peep!

by Kevin Luthardt, Kevin Luthardt (Illustrator)

Overview

This original and humorous story is told in expressive illustrations and simple language. A baby duck breaks through its shell and immediately attaches itself to the first thing it sees - a warmhearted young boy. The duck follows the boy home and soon the two are inseparable. But the baby duck is growing up. One day...QUACK! When a flock of ducks flies by the boy realizes with a great pang of sorrow that his friend will have to return to live among its own kind.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781561450466
Publisher:	Peachtree Publishers, Ltd.
Publication date:	03/01/2003
Edition description:	1ST
Pages:	36
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

Editorial Reviews

In his impressive debut, Mine!, Luthardt proved he could breathe new life into a familiar theme (how hard it is to share) with minimal text and bold, chiaroscurist oils. He calls upon those talents again in this nearly wordless book, in which a boy finds an egg that hatches ("Crraaaack!") into a duckling ("peep!"). Even though the boy offers it a cheery "Bye bye" and then admonishes it to "Stay," the duckling follows him home. His parents' skeptical expressions soon turn to acceptance of the boy's new feathered friend, who quickly becomes a cherished part of the boy's life, even making an appearance at show and tell ("Wow" and "Cool!" remark the other students). Subtle changes in palette indicate the passing of seasons, from the duckling's springtime hatching to the summer soccer season. But in autumn, when the duckling hears a flock of ducks in flight, its "peep" morphs into a more adult "quack!" and the boy and his family bittersweetly set the duck free. While Luthardt's pictures have a tableau-like quality, he invests every scene with a visual and emotional depth that draws in the audience. The duck's gleeful and inexhaustible "peep!" becomes another strong graphic element, functioning as both a visual punchline and a mirror of the boy's affection. After the duckling joins a flock, Luthardt makes room for one more word in the short vocabulary list: the "mew!" belonging to a stray kitten that becomes the boy's new pet. All ages. (Mar.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Almost no words are needed to tell the story of a young boy who happens upon an egg just as the duckling inside is hatching. The baby duck follows him home and becomes his buddy. But one day, as the duckling's "peep" has become "quack," the boy realizes that "it's time" to take his friend to join the other ducks in the duck pond. His sad loneliness is relieved, however, when he is followed home by a "mew!" The bare bones text is matched by illustrations with very few details. Doll-like, large-headed characters and a few "lollypop" trees are set in landscapes and interiors with suede-like textures. There's lots of room for the readers to enhance the story from personal experience, to tell more in their own words. 2003, Peachtree Publishers,
— Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

Children's Literature

PreS-Gr 2-As a boy walks along a sidewalk, whistling a tune, he sees an egg just beginning to crack open. A yellow duckling soon pops out and utters a "peep!" When the child "peeps" back, the bird becomes imprinted on him and follows him home. The two do everything together, watching TV, playing soccer, and even going to school. When autumn comes, the now-grown duck sees a flock of fellow birds winging south and exchanges its trademark "peep" for a "quack." Sadly, the boy realizes he must say good-bye to his friend. This nearly wordless picture book ends on an upbeat note when the youngster, out walking again, hears a "mew" and finds a new companion. The flat, full-bleed illustrations have well-defined lines, and the art conveys a lot of feeling in its simplicity. The somber colors suit the tale, which is both bittersweet and heartwarming.-Anna DeWind Walls, Milwaukee Public Library Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal