Duck, Duck, Goose

My kids and I giggled our way through Duck and Goose, Tad Hills' first book starring these two lovable characters. With DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE, our favorite quacker and honker are back -- but this time there's another character thrown into the mix, and three is most definitely a crowd. Duck is very excited to introduce Thistle, the new duck who just moved into the area, to his best friend Goose. And, at first, Goose is just as happy to meet this new duck. That is, until Goose soon learns that Thistle is the best at everything, and I mean everything! She's the fastest, she's the best at math, she's had three butterflies land on her bill at the same time (compared to Goose's one), she can hold her breath the longest, run up the hill the fastest, and...well, the list goes on and on. Goose learns very quickly that Thistle is the best, and that no one else can ever hope to measure up. And yet he's tired of everything always being turned into a contest. So he has no choice but to leave Duck and Thistle to their own devices and rest, by himself, behind his and Duck's favorite bush. DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE is a wonderful book, about meeting new people, the spirit of competition, and the true meaning of friendship. Both toddlers and older readers will be enchanted, once again, by Tad Hills' brilliant illustrations, and the story will have them alternately laughing-out-loud and commiserating with how left out and lonely Goose feels. This one is another winner, and definitely deserves a place on your keeper shelf! Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

I love this book. It is so cute. I am a first grade teacher and parent of two (5 and 21/2) and my kids and class alike really enjoy hearing this book. Thie illustrations are colorful and the story can be used with many ages.

My 2 year old daughter received this book recently for her birthday and it is great. Tad Hills' ability to mix sarcasm and wit into a children's story is impressive. Of the 50 or so books she has, I put this in the top 5 that *I* enjoy reading. There aren't too many of those, especially when they get read several times a week. I'm now looking to buy DUCK AND GOOSE.

Tad Hills' DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE tells of a couple who are friends forever - until new duck Thistle comes along. Thistle impresses Duck - but Goose is NOT impressed. Can the three get along, or is somebody destined to be left out? A warm story evolves.

Ducks and geese are not immediately adorable creatures. Anyone who has ever been bitten by a duck or chased by a hissing goose will agree with me here. Yet due to that law of nature that states that any and all creatures must start out cute in order to survive (the sole exception being pandas), baby ducks and baby geese are nothing short of adorableness incarnate. With his first book "Duck and Goose", author/illustrator Tad Wade went from fabulous Halloween costumer designer and husband of half of Schwartz & Wade to a star in his own right. His book was the kind of cute that everyone can agree on. There is good cute in this world and there is bad cute (ala Disney Cuties) and Mr. Hills has successfully placed his creations in the former category. His first Duck & Goose book was a well-deserved hit and now a sequel is here to follow-up the tale. If a ball was the mysterious visitor in the first book, imagine what a mysterious talking visitor could do. Goose doesn't know it, but there's a new duck in the pasture and it goes by the name of Thistle. One day, as Goose attempts to maintain the butterfly that has landed on his head, his act of concentration is disrupted by the untimely arrival of Duck and his new friend Thistle. Thistle is a small highly-competitive duckling, and she's extraordinarily eager to show off her prowess in everything from adding to balancing sticks to hopping on one foot. Goose competes against this little challenger for a while, but he just can't seem to best her in anything. As such, he goes off to do his own thing, leaving the two ducks together. Duck, however, finds that though Thistle is admirable, she's also a bit tiring. He locates Goose once more and when their over-achieving (not to say egotistical) neighbor arrives, they have a contest to see who can fall asleep the fastest for the longest. Thistle complies and the two remaining friends go off to play with their ball, happy in the knowledge that this is one game where no one has to come off as "the best". This will sound like an odd compliment, but I'm going to mean every word of it. Children's books fall all too easily into the well-worn grooves of their predecessors. You have your Amelia Bedelia knock-offs, your Where the Wild Things Are knock-offs, your Eloise knock-offs, etc. The Frog and Toad knock-offs are what I'm thinking of in this particular case. Lots of books feature two friends where one is perpetually grumpy and the other perpetually sunny. One worries and the other flits about. I can think of five different books off the top of my head that fit this formula, and without having read this book you might think that the Duck and Goose qualify for this stereotype. What makes Mr. Hills work so remarkable, however, is that he's managed to put a great deal of characterization into Duck, Goose, and Thistle without complicating his narrative or making it overly familiar. Goose would seemingly be a perfect candidate for grouchiness, but there's a subtlety t