READY OR NOT, DAWDLE DUCKLING

The American cousin to Come Along, Daisy! (1998) returns in this sweet sequel to his eponymous debut. A mother duck plays hide-and-seek with her four ducklings at the beach. Dawdle Duckling is distracted by his friend turtle and needs a hiding place fast. He tries to hide behind turtle, but his tail is sticking out. In the next game, he hides behind frog and then behind fish. Each time some portion of his anatomy is sticking out—and Mama finds him. Only when all three friends work together to hide Dawdle does the lag-behind duckling successfully stay out of sight. Spengler’s stand-out pastels are just as bright and active. Though Hide-and-Seek Daisy (2001), with its lift-the-flaps, was a bit more engaging, toddlers will identify with this friendly duckling who does things his own way. (Picture book. 2-5)