Desperado at the Door: Duck and Cover by Jackie Urbanovic

Knock! Knock! Knock!

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

HELP!!!

It's deja vu all over again for Irene, a softie for animals in need who lives with a menagerie of varied furred and feathered critters. It's only been a year since she found Max, the blizzard-driven mallard, on her stoop and adopted the Duck at the Door.

But this time the mendicant is a fugitive from the zoo, Harold the alligator, just one step ahead of the law. Irene quickly slams the door on Harold's snout, as her pets recoil in fear at the sight of the toothy gator. But she can't resist a sad story:

"Help! If the zoo detective finds me, I'm a goner.

I just had a snack. Okay, it was someone else's pet. I didn't know that!"

Irene's pets look at each other in horror. A confessed pet-eater at the door. Yikes! But Max finds the refugee's pleas strangely moving.

Max was afraid, too, but he remembered what it was like to be in trouble and alone. Now it was his turn to help someone else.

Believing Harold's protestations that he is not dangerous, Max persuades Irene to let the alligator on the lam hide inside, and when the zoo cops come to call, all the pets plop down on Harold's back, making him look for all the world like a low and modern green sofa. Nope, no gators here, they all agree.

But keeping Harold isn't easy. He's got a big mouth and a big appetite, and Irene and her family realize that they've got to keep the one full and the other satisfied just in case. Lolling luxuriously in the backyard wading pool, Harold works his way through most of the can-opener-wielding cats' canned tuna, while Max and the others work on Plan B, pulling together an impressive pile of crafting supplies.

All too soon the detectives are back at the door.

"Open UP! WE KNOW HE'S IN THERE!

Ma'am, your neighbors called the zoo. They reported seeing someone suspiciously GREEN in your backyard!"

"Okay, Harold, it's no use hiding. Come on out," said Irene

Suddenly the officers are confronted with more than a dozen green gators--little ones, big ones, really big ones, and even one with duck feet--all cleverly clad in a variety of homemade gator costumes.

"Who's the REAL Harold?" said one of the detectives. "Look! It's a gator goof. The zoo wishes to right a wrong. The dog we thought Harold ate wasn't the girl's PET DOG; It was her HOT DOG!"

All's well that ends well, and Max the mallard and Harold the alligator part as unlikely but good friends with a lot in common in the third installment in Jackie Urbanovic's Max series, Duck and Cover (HarperCollins, 2009). The text is funny and the illustrations of the harried Irene and her multi-pet household are even funnier.

For more mallard mirth from the talented Jackie Urbanovic, see also the second book in this best-selling series, Duck Soup. For reviews of the two previous books, take a quick look here.

Don't Count on It! No Sleep for the Sheep by Karen Beaumont

In the big red barn on the farm, on the farm, in the big red barn on the farm... A sheep fell asleep in the big red barn, in the big red barn on the farm.

Sheep is ready to sleep, teddy bear under his arm, and he is not counting on helping anyone else get to sleep tonight. Settled down in the fresh hay in a comfy stall, with only by a tiny yellow chick for a roommate, sheep is already snoring away soundly when he is disturbed by a dissonant sound that blasts him out of his somnolent state:

Then there came a loud QUACK at the door, at the door, and the sheep couldn't sleep any more.

Disgruntled, the sheep staggers sleepily to the door and escorts the duck to the stall with whispered instructions:

"Go to sleep" said the sheep, to the duck at the door. "And please don't QUACK any more!"

Even the teddy bear looks grumpy as the disheveled sheep, the duck, and the chick resettle themselves in the stall for what sheep obviously hopes will at last be undisturbed slumber. But in the best tradition of the venerable cumulative tale, this dream is not to be. Sheep is constantly roused from his snores by a succession of supposedly sleepless animals--a goat, pig, a cow, and as horse--who Baa!, Oink!, Moo!, and Neigh! their way in to seek a snooze with Sheep in the increasingly snugger stall, with Chick constantly forced to clamber atop the pile to avoid being squashed. With the huge horse hogging half the sleeping space, there is definitely no room in the stable!

"Shhhh! Not a peep! Go to sleep!" said the sheep.

But there's ONE more farm animal who hasn't yet gotten the message, whose identity is hinted at by the light of dawn glimpsed through the window as the heap of animals finally drifts off to sleep together:

"COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOO!"

In Karen Beaumont's forthcoming No Sleep for the Sheep! (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011), sheep attempts to sleep in but chick gets the last word, (a PEEP!), in a inventive reworking of the traditional always-room-for-one-more premise. As always, Beaumont's verses are so rhythmical that young listeners will start joining in on the irresistible repetition as sheep issues his orders to each animal in turn.

But Beaumont's text virtually takes off when paired with Jackie Urbanovic's comic brown pencil and watercolor illustrations, which add immeasurably to the effect. Even the teddy, eyes always shut, has a role. and sheep's facial expressions are priceless as he is blasted from his slumbers by the pig and hugely hugged by the horse. Kids will gleefully pick up on the clever visual device by which Urbanovic telegraphs the identity of each approaching midnight visitor to the barn, even as each time sheep settles down to what he believes will finally be a good night's sleep. Both Beaumont (I Like Myself!, and I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! (Ala Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers (Awards))) and Jackie Urbanovic (Duck at the Door and sequels) are no strangers to best-sellerdom, and their No Sleep for the Sheep! looks like it's got all the right stuff to keep its readers wide awake and calling for more from this delightful duo!

The Waddler Who Wintered Over: Duck at the Door by Janet Urbanovic

Jackie Urbanovic's ebullient Duck at the Door starts the fun right on the title page, which shows a weary, wayworn wanderer of a little mallard trudging, head down, through the deep and driving blizzard, a dollop of snow on his head.
This duck, it seems, has been channeling the grasshopper in the old Aesop's fable, floating lazily back at the lovely pond while his more diligent flock members are flapping up the migratory flyways. Now, with snow blowing and no Wellingtons on his little webbed feet, he's looking for a home for the winter.

This duck is in luck. The door he knocks upon is opened by Irene, a pleasant middle-aged woman who apparently loves animals, since the door opens to a cozy, fire lit living room which she shares with a menagerie of animals, ranging from St. Bernard Brody to parakeet BeBe, with at least 4 cats, a hare, a parrot, and three more dogs.

"My name is Max, says the duck. "I though I'd love winter, but it turned out to be cold and very lonely."

"Winter isn't so bad when you have a warm home," Irene says, hospitably bringing Max in and holding the frozen little mallard close.

Max adapts well to group life, hogging the easy chair, television and remote, much to the exasperation of the other pets. By February Max even becomes an amateur chef, chopping and sauteing right along with the cable cooking show gurus. By March, he's made himself totally at home, swan-diving off Irene's head into her bubble bath with his flock of rubber duckies.

In fact, Max takes up a lot of space--his own and everyone else's personal space, it seems. The dogs are tired of watching Max's endless reruns on TV; Dakota, Coco, and Jesse Bear the cats are tired of eating his Tofu Surprise and poor old Brody is just plain tired of sharing his doggy bed with Max. "Someone has to talk to Max," they all think, looking meaningfully at Irene.

But hark! Are those quacks we hear? Irene is saved by the flock--the return of Max's flock, which has him out the door and off to the pond in two shakes of his tail feathers, leaving Irene holding his chef's hat and Brody riding herd on his rubber duckies. The residents spread out gratefully as a tofu-free silence falls pleasantly over the house.

But soon, it seems, Max is missed by all. It's cat food, cat food, cat food every day for the cats, and with no one to fight with over the remote, watching TV isn't a thrill for the dogs. Brody is reduced to brooding over a single mallard feather left behind in his beloved dog bed.

Just when things are looking dismal for Irene and her menagerie, there's a knock on the door. "Max!" they all cry, and throw the door open, only to find the prodigal duck and his entire flock ready to move in for the whole winter. All Irene can say is "Welcome Home!"

Urbanovic's illustrations for Duck at the Door are simply hilarious, with the faces of Irene and her pet posse telling the story of the mallard home invasion with subtle humor. A great read-aloud for groups or one child, this one is bound to take its place as a standard seasonal story for the picture book crowd.

Groucho Woulda Loved It! Duck Soup by Janet Urbanovic

Jackie Urbanovic, whose homey and hilarious Duck at the Door hit the New York Times bestseller list, has an even funnier sequel starring that mallard Max.

In Duck Soup enthusiastic amateur chef Max is still working diligently at his avocation. Although his Cracker Barrel Cheese and Marshmallow Soup and Way Way Too Many Beans Soup have been a flop with his thirteen co-pets, he is determined to create a Max masterpiece this time. This pot of soup just needs a petite soupcon of something special, Max decides after a taste.

But while he zips outside to pluck a few choice herbs from his kitchen garden, Brody the St. Bernard, Dakota the kitty, and Bebe the parakeet can't resist sneaking a sip from his fragrant stockpot. But what this? One of Max's bright green feathers is floating atop the pottage! Yikes! Could Max have fallen in?

"I think I know where Max went!" whispers Dakota.

"I told him never to cook alone!" gasps Bebe.

Dakota grabs a wooden spoon and thrusts it into the huge pot. "Max, grab the spoon!" Dakota yells. But Brody has a better rescue strategy. "I know! The strainer! The big bowl with the little holes! GRAB IT!" Quickly the frantic pets start pouring the soup through the strainer.

"A-A-H-H-H! There's his HEAD!" says Bebe (covering his eyes with his wings).

"Silly! It's only a potato," says Brody.

"EYEBALLS!" shrieks Bebe.

"Guys, it's only tiny onions," says Brody.

"HIS FEET!" yells Dakota.

"Calm down, you two," says Brody. "It's only carrot slices!"

Just then Max bounces back into the kitchen with his basket full of fresh herbs, just in time to to see his deluxe dinner gurgling down the drain.

The final double-page spread shows a despondent Max, the ever patient, pet-loving Irene, and her menagerie of dogs, cats, and birds around the dining table with take-out pizza for all.

"We know you're disappointed," Irene tells Max soothingly. "But at least you're not duck soup!"

Urbanovic's illustrations are just as winsome and winning in this engaging sequel. The long-suffering animal lover Irene and her menagerie's priceless facial expressions make this story one that will keep kids coming back for a second helping of Duck Soup.

Babysitters' Club: Sitting Duck by Jackie Urbanovic

"Babysitting is easy!" said Brody. Our only job will be to keep her out of trouble."

"Sure," said Max. "How much trouble could a puppy get into, anyway?"

"Out the back door, QUICK!" yelled Bebe.

Most of Irene's furred and feathered pets speedily fly the coop when they hear that babysitting sheepdog Brody's rambunctious niece Anabel is on the day's docket. Brody and mallard Max are confident, however, that they have the right stuff to handle Anabel's puppy capers.

"Hiya! Hiya! Let's PLAY!" shouted Anabel.

And play they do. Anabel wraps Uncle Brody in most of a roll of toilet paper in her idea of "dress up," and Uncle Max gets plunked into the stockpot in a reprise of "Duck Soup," while Anabel plays chef. Playing ball takes out a vase and a couple of lamps. Taking in the ruins of Irene's living room and kitchen, Max opts for some outdoor exercise for the still energetic Anabel while Brody finishes her "nap" for her.

Max nixes swinging and swimming with the burly Anabel, but bouncing on the trampoline seems safe, right? But Anabel again gets boisterous, and her biggest bounce takes her so high that she finds herself snagged on a tree limb high above the trampoline. It's time for Max to call in the reserves, and Irene's little family of adopted shelter pets convenes for a creative rescue.

In her fourth installment with that manic mallard Max, Urbanovic's expressive illustrations carry the day in Sitting Duck (Harper, 2010). The final double-page spread hilariously shows the exhausted Brody somnolent amidst the seriously disheveled den, the finally recumbent Anabel snoozing on the floor, the maxed-out mallard Max snoring on her warm and furry tummy, and their long-suffering owner Irene, just home from work, musing over the mayhem.

Previous rib-ticklers in this series are Duck at the Door, Duck Soup, and most recently Duck and Cover.

Rainbow Ruler? King of the Zoo by Erica Perl

THEY SAY THE LION IS KING OF THE JUNGLE.
BUT WHO'S THE KING OF THE ZOO?

CARLOS! THAT'S WHO!

Carlos the Chameleon is a legend in his own mind. According to this self-proclaimed Master of the Menagerie, he's the coolest, the cleverest, the charming-est critter in the enclosure.

With his two little lizard henchmen, Carlos leads the way in a tour of his kingdom. But what's this? A pretender to the crown? A sign in the kangaroo's domain proclaims that he is King of the Zoo!

Carlos is so angry he turns orange with envy. In fact he's hopping mad!

In front of the monkey cage, Carlos stops and scratches his head at another insurrectional sign. Monkey? King of the Zoo? Carlos frowns and turns brown at the very thought!

The tiger's claim to rule makes Carlos growl. He stomps his foot at the elephant's proclamation of power. Everybody's getting into the act--giraffe, even an itsy-bitsy pygmy shrew! And there's that lion, at it again, lording it over everyone and claiming to be King of the Beasts. Sheesh! Carlos the Chameleon refuses to abdicate!

KING OF THE ZOO? ME. THAT'S WHO!

In her latest, King of the Zoo (Orchard Books, 2013). Erica Perl spoofs its improbable pretender to the throne, happily abetted by the jolly comedic illustrations of Jackie Urbanovic, whose delightful Duck at the Door and sassy sequels are comic portrayals of another manic menagerie, starring the duck who came to dinner and stayed and stayed and stayed. See more of the unique Urbanovic's work here.

Erica Perl is also the author of the charming and cheeky Chicken Butt!

"Hoppy Days" Are Here Again: If You're Hoppy by April Pulley Sayre

IF YOU'RE HOPPY AND YOU KNOW IT....

YOU'RE A FROG!

It's spring at last, and everyone--frogs, bunnies, crickets, and even grumpy people tired of woolly hats and darkling skies, are feeling a bit hoppy with joy.

Based on the idea and rhyme scheme of the popular nursery song "If You're Happy and You Know It," here comes April Pulley Sayre's joyfully new If You're Hoppy (Greenwillow, 2011), giving everyone an opportunity of stretch their legs and flap their wings under the spring sky. Even if there's still a bit of the winter blues hanging on, Sayre has a rhythmic rhyme to pull you out of your winter funk. If you're still feeling "growly," you might be a dog...or worse a bear, or perhaps ....

... A TUMMY OVER THERE!"

What youngster could resist singing and acting out lines like

IF YOU'RE SLOPPY AND YOU KNOW IT...

YOU'RE A HOG!

Sayre's text is buoyed by the charming and ebullient cartoon-style illustrations of Jackie Urbanovic, author-illustrator of the best-selling Duck series, which seem to bounce into motion on the page. This is a great storytime book with lots of possibilities for movement and song, for springtime and Eastertide, which, as School Library Journal says, is “sure to be a storytime staple!"

On With The Show! The Farm That Mac Built by Tammi Sauer

There's no business like show business!

And when a cast of the usual farm animals decide to put on a barn show, Scarecrow the empressario puts together a troup of Vaudeville wannabes all ready to wow their audience.

A couple of hens with flashlights flap up to the rafters to provide the stage lighting, the curtains open, and the pigs sashay out with their top hats and canes and begin to do the old soft shoe. But the tap of their trotters is followed by waltzing cows in ballroom gowns...

THAT LIVE ON THE FARM THAT JACK BUILT!

and NOW...

... MONKEYS!?

Oh, dear! These don't belong on the farm!

Emcee Scarecrow shoos the monkeys offstage in time for the next scheduled act--Sheep That Leap--but their dance is interrupted by break-dancing...

KANGAROOS?

And scarcely has the next scheduled act, the horse (NEIGH!) begun his one-man-band gig with a concertina jig when a pair of Viking elephants give the rest a scare. The cast scatters to hide behind the scenery until...

... a troup of hatching eggs jiggle out and with a chorus of cracks, out comes a brood of baby...

PENGUINS?

But the show must go on! That's show biz at Old Mac's Farm, in Tammi Sauer's latest, The Farm That Mac Built, a comical mashup of two nursery songs, "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" and "This Is the House that Jack Built" that combines zoo animals and farm animals in one of the whackiest casts that ever trod the boards together. With funny illustrations by author-illustrator Jackie Urbanavic (creator of the hilarious Duck at the Door (Max the Duck) series) (see my reviews here) this is one fractured folksong production that breaks the mold! Says School Library Journal, "Lots of word repetition and animal sound effects, combined with Urbanovic’s comically expressive cartoon illustrations, make this a rollicking read-aloud."