Dick King-Smith was a farmer for 20 years before turning to teaching and then to writing the children’s books that have earned him many fans on both sides of the Atlantic.
“Thoroughly engaging . . . chipper dialogue, generous helpings of
humor and a lickety-split plot add up to an amusing chapter
book.”–Publishers Weekly
“Amusing . . . a fine choice for early chapter-book
readers.”–School Library Journal
Gr 2-4-An amusing chapter book about a chick that wants to be a duck. Eight-year-old Jemima notices Frank's fascination with the ducks and, with assistance from her parents and uncle, tries to help him learn to swim. A wet suit made from a hot-water bottle allows the chick to float, but he still can't glide across the pond like the ducks. Later, however, some chick-sized flippers give him serious speed in the water. Accepted at last by his new friends, Frank returns to his true nature, but not before befuddling a fox and saving his Mum. King-Smith's easygoing narrative makes this a pleasant variation of "The Ugly Duckling." Though the notion of a swimming chick has slapstick potential, the author builds the humor gently, without resorting to caricature. Jemima approaches her trial-and-error attempts to help her chick with logic and earnestness. Frank is the hero of the story, but seeing him through the humans' eyes, and through the eyes of his embarrassed mother, shows how others in the farmyard community regard his antics. Simple black-and-white illustrations appear on most pages, neatly matching the restrained fun of the words. Fairly short chapters and an easy-to-follow plot make this a fine choice for early chapter-book readers.-Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
"Thoroughly engaging . . . chipper dialogue, generous helpings of
humor and a lickety-split plot add up to an amusing chapter
book."-Publishers Weekly
"Amusing . . . a fine choice for early chapter-book
readers."-School Library Journal
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