Fine Feathered Friends: Peep & Ducky by David Martin

"PLAY CARS?" SAYS PEEP.

"BEEP! BEEP!" SAYS DUCKY.

"I'M A JEEP," SAYS PEEP.

"I'M A TRUCKY," SAYS DUCKY.


Birds of a feather flock together, and little chick Peep and sturdy buddy Duck are no exception.

They can't WAIT to get together every day at the playground.  These two feather friends share a fondness for slides (KaThump!) that give Duck a boo-boo on his bummy, but a tickle and giggle shared by Peep make him all better.  Puddles are more Duck's idea of fun than Peep's, but snacks meet with unanimous approval.  Even a necessary comfort stop finds them sharing identical potties!

Time flies when you're having fun, and before they know it, it's time to leave. Momma Hen calls Time!  and Poppa Duck agrees.  The two playmates leave their excavation project reluctantly and wave goodbye--until next time, that is.

David Martin's tale of two little fowl friends, Peep and Ducky (Candlewick, 2013), is as cheery a springtime toddler outing tale as can be found, illustrated fetchingly by David Walker's jelly-bean-hued cartoon characters, a wee blue chick and a little yellow duck, a pair of just-hatched lucky buddies who have each found their own fine feathered friend.  An easy reader, filled with a preschooler's favorite things to do in a park, this one has lots of rhymes, sound effects, and repetition ("Lucky, Lucky, Lucky") to tempt the ear of the youngest picture book fan. Author/reviewer Claudia Mills cheers: "This rollicking portrait of the sweet, simple pleasures of young childhood is a picture book treat that should leave child readers feeling as lucky as Peep and Ducky."