Ready or Not, Dawdle Duckling - Hardcover

Toni Buzzeo, a former teacher and school librarian, is now a full time author with many picture books to her credit, including Adventure Annie Goes to Kindergarten, The Sea Chest, and the Caldecott Honor winner One Cool Friend. She and her husband, Ken, divide their time between Sarasota, Florida and Buxton, Maine.

PreS–This book, like Dawdle Duckling (Dial, 2003), sports inviting pastels and a vigorous text in an easy-to-read font. Its ingenuous plot doesn't meander–although its main character does. When Mama Duck plays hide-and-seek with her four youngsters, three zip off to find effective hideouts. Dawdle, the easily distracted fourth duckling, has an inexhaustible supply of friends eager to help him. However, Mama Duck easily spots him behind a turtle, a laughably puffed-up bullfrog, and a lithe fish. A little collaboration finally brings Dawdle triumph. Spengler's compositions, her interplay of color and light, and her gift for conveying individuality in an unfailingly upbeat manner–all of these elements (plus enchanting details like duck-couture boaters and bonnets) transform a simple story into an excellent choice that is tailor-made for preschoolers.–Susan Weitz, Spencer-Van Etten Schools, Spencer, NY