Title: Make Way for Ducklings
Author and Illustrator: Robert McCloskey
Method of Reading/Extra Activities: I set out a baby blanket that had ducks on it and gathered all the toy ducks I could find in the house. Then the boys and I sat down to read the book. We read it in one sitting while playing with the ducks. After reading, we counted out eight of the smaller ducks as ducklings and lined them up behind two bigger Mommy and Daddy ducks. The book came with a CD, so a few days later we listened to the CD several times in the car. We read the book another time and also read Robert McCloskey's 1949 Caldecott Honor book Blueberries for Sal (a birthday gift from Grandma).
About the Text: Mr. and Mrs. Mallard look for the perfect place to build a nest, finally settling in the city of Boston. They hatch eight ducklings and begin to teach them all the things little ducks need to know. Papa duck goes exploring and Mama duck promises to meet him in the park. Mrs. Mallard leads her eight ducklings through the busy streets of Boston in order to find their father at the park. Friendly policemen help the ducks along the way.
Our Favorite Part: When the ducks try to cross the road and the cars are honking, the ducks are quaking, and the policeman is blowing his whistle all at the same time. It's fun to listen to Mommy make all those sound effects!
Our Least Favorite Part: I'm not sure if we have one. This was a great book! Gabriel is still a bit young to sit still for a whole book, but it was pretty easy to draw his attention back to this book by pointing to the pictures or making sound effects with the text.
