Look at the white animal head on the striking blue cover, outlined in a heavy black line. Quick--what is it? Is it a duck? Look on the left. It must be a duck; it's saying, "Quack." But, wait. Now look to the right. See the nose sniffing, just like a rabbit would? Is it a rabbit, then? On the first page, the argument begins between two unseen, unidentified spectators. "Hey, look! A duck!" reads the dialogue on the left page. On the right page is the reply: "That's not a duck. That's a rabbit." As you turn each page, the two debate what they think they see. Is that a duck, flying, or is it a rabbit, hopping? Is the duck getting a drink in the river, or is it a rabbit, cooling off its ears? It all depends on your perspective. When you get to the final page, after the two talkers appear to have changed each other's minds, there's a fitting punch line on the final page that will crack you up for sure--"That's no anteater. That's a brachiosaurus!"--and make your listeners shout, "Read it again!"
THEMES: ANIMALS. IDENTITY. OPTICAL ILLUSIONS. PICTURE BOOKS FOR OLDER READERS.
Look at the white animal head on the striking blue cover, outlined in a heavy black line. Quick--what is it? Is it a duck? Look on the left. It must be a duck; it's saying, "Quack." But, wait. Now look to the right. See the nose sniffing, just like a rabbit would? Is it a rabbit, then? On the first page, the argument begins between two unseen, unidentified spectators. "Hey, look! A duck!" reads the dialogue on the left page. On the right page is the reply: "That's not a duck. That's a rabbit." As you turn each page, the two debate what they think they see. Is that a duck, flying, or is it a rabbit, hopping? Is the duck getting a drink in the river, or is it a rabbit, cooling off its ears? It all depends on your perspective. When you get to the final page, after the two talkers appear to have changed each other's minds, there's a fitting punch line on the final page that will crack you up for sure--"That's no anteater. That's a brachiosaurus!"--and make your listeners shout, "Read it again!"
Don't miss the adorable trailer for the book at www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPCoe-6RRks. When you share the story with younger children, you may notice that they will involve themselves in the story, quacking spontaneously for each of the duck pages, and hopping with the rabbit pages. If you like, tell them before you begin that you would like them to use their hands, opening and closing the thumb and fingers, mouth-like, when they quack, and putting up their first two fingers as ears to hop, rabbit-like, with their arms. They can act out the story in pairs, doing both the dialogue and the animal moves. Afterwards, you may want to fool around with making hand shadows on the wall.
Look at the clouds in the endpapers. They might put you in mind of the book, It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles Green Shaw. On a nice day, go cloud-gazing outside. Lie on your backs and look for shapes in the clouds. Or just look at the ceiling or a textured wall to find pictures and point them out to each other. From that, you can segue into constellations, and explain how the ancients found pictures in the heavens, made up of stars. (Or discuss how some people look at a bowl of cornflakes and see Elvis.) If you're introducing the concept of optical illusions, intrigue kids further with Walter Wick's Optical Tricks. Another terrific book on perspective and point of view is Isol's It's Useful to Have a Duck; It's Useful to Have a Boy. See how the eye perceives color with Eric Carle's Hello, Red Fox.
Note the Suggested Ages designation above-Ages 2 and Up. How can a simple picture book be appropriate for such a wide age range? Don't dismiss this seemingly innocuous title, thinking it's just for little kids. You can use it with every age, even high school, to talk about how two people can have such opposite opinions, with each one believing he is right. This is a book about compromise, perspective, and putting yourself in another person's shoes. Ask your listeners if we all see things the same way. Perception becomes reality. Have children look out the window and describe what they see. Then give let them try on a pair of prescription glasses or sunglasses, and describe the difference.
If you're introducing debating skills, peer mediation, conflict resolution, or even mock trial in upper grades, you couldn't find a more gently provocative and thoughtful lead-in for considering all sides of an argument. Acknowledging and accepting other people's points of view, even when they differ from your own, is a skill more people could use. Sometimes friends (or family members, or co-workers, or politicians, or countries) get caught up in an argument and simply need to agree to disagree. The U.S. is divided between Democrats and Republicans with opposing viewpoints. Will we ever figure out how to have a productive and civil dialogue? Doesn't compromise become more likely if we look at a situation from someone else's eyes or from a different perspective? Duck! Rabbit! will help you do that. Children's books can save the world!
THEMES: ANIMALS. IDENTITY. OPTICAL ILLUSIONS. PICTURE BOOKS FOR OLDER READERS.
