The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?, by Mo Willems, 2012
Willems,
Mo. The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? Ill. by the author. 1st ed. New York,
NY: Hyperion Books for Children, 2012. ISBN #: 978-142315128-9
Ages 3-8
In
this fifth book in the Pigeon series by Mo Willems, Pigeon’s cute little
antagonist, Duckling, asks politely for a cookie, and gets one (with nuts!). Enter
our indignant friend Pigeon, who is clearly upset by the injustice of not
getting a cookie himself. The two banter on about why Duckling has a cookie (he
asked politely), which leads Pigeon to become frantic because he asks for
things all the time. He then recites a litany of things he has asked for,
including a French Fry Robot, a walrus, a personal iceberg, and of course, to
drive the bus. He ends this rant with a sobbing “But do I get what I ask for?”
And of course the answer is a resounding NOOOO (with 27 O’s). After bemoaning
how unfair the situation is, he asks Duckling why HE got the cookie, to which
Duckling replies that he got it to give to Pigeon. Taken aback by Duckling’s
generosity, Pigeon takes the cookie and thanks Duckling (very much). He then
walks away, chomping on his cookie and remarking how cool Duckling is. Duckling
then ends the story by asking for another cookie (again, politely), but this
time, no nuts.
Willems’
simple line drawings, created with black felt-tip marker and digital color, are
effective and expressive in how they convey the characters’ emotions. He also
uses small detail lines outside of the characters’ bodies to depict motion,
which creates a type of animation of the character. Other small details, such
as the nuts on the cookie, feathers flying out from the Pigeon or Duckling and
onomatopoeia to convey flying and walking sounds, make the book even more fun.
The observant reader will also notice that the front two inside cover pages
have illustrations of cookies with nuts. The back-cover pages – cookies with no
nuts (and one is half-eaten).
This
is the same illustration style that won Willems a Caldecott Honor in 2003, for Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. He
also won another Caldecott Honor in 2004 using that style along with retouched
photography in Knuffle Bunny: A
Cautionary Tale. Willems wants his illustrations to be accessible to
children – he wants them to be able to draw the characters themselves
(readingrockets.org, 2007), and he accomplishes that with his simple and
emotive drawings.
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews: “Just as
enjoyable as a read-aloud to a group or as a one-on-one lapsit, it’s a pleasure
to see Willems at the top of his game, and The Pigeon suitably humbled.” (Jan.
2012)
Amazon Best Books of the Month
for Kids: “I appreciate the book’s message about the power
of politeness and the rewards of sharing (warning: cookies are involved), yet
the story never loses the jovial, high-spirited quality that makes the Pigeon
books so popular with kids and the adults who read to them.” (April 2012)
The Horn Book Review: “The Pigeon may not get the
Duckling’s message about manners and unselfishness, but young listeners will.
And when they demand this book again, they just might ask politely.” (Mar./Apr. 2012)
Booklist: “Fans
will delight at another outing, and the protagonist’s indelible pigeonality
will welcome newcomers to the club.” (May 2012)
If you want to learn
more about Mo Willems and his work, here’s his official website. It’s probably
the most fun and informational children’s author’s websites around:
Here’s a link to the
too-cute and funny book trailer for The
Duckling Gets a Cookie:
Works Cited/Used
"A Video Interview with Mo Willems" Interview by
Reading Rockets. Readingrockets.org. 2011. Accessed September 12, 2012. http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/willems/
"An Interview with Mo
Willems." Interview by Jared Chapman. Drawn.ca. May 25, 2006. Accessed
September 12, 2012.
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