Have You Seen My Duckling? by Nancy Tafuri

Genre: general fiction

Publishing Information: Scholastic INC, 28 pages


Awards: Caldecott Honor Book


Summary: Have You Seen My Duckling uses more picture detail with minimal words. In fact the only words in the book are have you seen my ducking repeated many times. The pictures tell the story of a baby duck who wonders off one morning following a butterfly. The mother duck and her other ducklings look all over the pond for the missing baby duck. She asks lots of pond creatures if they have seen her baby. In most of the pictures you can see the missing baby duck in the background. The story ends happily with the mother duck finding the baby.


Personal rating:*** Good. This book has great picture details and a cute story.


Reading level: 1.5


Interest level: PK-2


Integration: This would be a great book to use in a guided reading group or with whole group to discuss picture details. In kindergarten and first grade picture details are a very important part of the story.
In science this book would be great to use in a unit about pond animals. This book shows many different pond animals in their natural habitats doing what they do. There are lily pads, frogs, otters and fish. This would be a great book to begin a pond unit discussion and make a list of animals. The teacher could do a KWL chart before she reads the book and then see if this book answers any of the students questions.
This book could also be used to discuss paying attention and not wondering off from a child's parents. The baby duckling was just playing with a butterfly, but she got lost from her mother.

Potential problems: I don't foresee any problems with this book.