PEEP AND DUCKY RAINY DAY
From the Peep and Ducky series
by David Martin ; illustrated by David Walker
Rainy days are oh, so dreary, but not for Peep and Ducky.
They turn a rainy day into the perfect time to play! The two feathered friends build a fort, have a pillow fight and then go outside to splish and splash. “Peep gets his boots, / and Ducky does, too. / Peep’s are red, / and Ducky’s are blue.” The bouncy cadence rolls along, keeping equal pace with the two avian youngsters as they flit from one activity to another. Martin tones down the cutesy words from Peep and Ducky’s eponymous first outing (2013), instead choosing strong, simple rhymes. Luckily for readers, the “lucky, lucky, lucky” refrain remains, echoing throughout and providing opportunities for little ones’ participation. This play date wouldn’t ring true without a small argument, so one is appropriately included—a power struggle over who gets to be captain of the umbrella boat. Thick, black-inked outlines can barely contain these two birds' energy, and splotches of rain won’t derail their fun.
Totally in tune with toddlers, this snappy read-aloud gets it right.
(Picture book. 2-5)