rubber duckies – Mom Read It

The Great Peach Experiment 4: Duck, Duck, Peach, by Erin Soderberg Downing, (Apr 2024, Pixel Ink), $9.99, ISBN: 9781645952428

Ages 8-12

The fourth outing in the Great Peach Experiment series follows the family as they settle into their B&B business and brace for a glut of guests as the Festival of Ships sails into town. The big attraction is the WORLD’S LARGEST RUBBER DUCK; a giant rubber duck that town curmudgeon Ms. Joye is hoping will bring her family to town to visit. The Peach siblings all have their hands full preparing for the festival: Lucy is dealing with the guests, who are… a lot; Freddy and his friends are set to build a record-breaking giant cardboard castle; and Herb is helping out any way he can. The big problem happens after a storm, when the giant rubber duck goes missing! Did the world’s worst magician, who happens to be staying at The Peach Pit, magic it away? Did it blow away during the storm? It’s a fun family mystery loaded with laughs. This is my first Peach outing, and while it would definitely give readers more context to be familiar with the characters, it’s not necessary; Downing gives first-time readers the basics that also provide a refresh for existing fans of the series. Dad Peach is widowed and raising his family with the help of Great Aunt Lucinda, and they’re engaged adults; the Peach kids are the stars of the book, but their grownups are an active part of their lives. Black and white illustrations from Freddy Peach’s sketchbook (drawn by the author’s children) and a recipe for monkey bread (created by the author’s daughter) add some extra fun. If you haven’t met the Peaches yet, this is a fun summer adventure with which to start.

Is anyone else thrilled that Sesame Street is still going strong? It gives me something to share with my kids at home and my kids at the library. Until you’ve taught other parents to sing along to Ladybug Picnic and driven your own children crazy with Manamana, you just haven’t lived. One of my best friends and I have been known to Elmo-Bomb one another with “Number of the Day/Letter of the day (Clap-Clap)” gifs, just to keep us on our toes. We never really outgrow Sesame Street, so whenever I see the chance to talk up the show and its characters, I’m on it.

5 Little Rubber Duckies, by Matt Mitter/Illustrated by‎ Tom Brannon, (Feb. 2018, Studio Fun), $11.99, ISBN: 9780794441197

Recommended for 2-5

Ernie still loves his rubber duckies, and this adorable book invites readers to join Ernie and his Sesame Street friends as they seek out five of them! The rhyming story is very similar to the nursery song, “5 Little Ducks”: Ernie plays hide and seek with five of his little rubber ducks, but one less duckie comes back each time Ernie calls them. Will Ernie get his duckies back in time for bathtime?

This book is loaded with interactive fun for toddlers and preschoolers alike. There are five little rubber duckies at the top of the book that little fingers can slide back and forth to count and play. Each spread has a highlighted box inviting readers to count the duckies, and trace the die-cut numbers from 5 to 1.

The pages are sturdy and will hold up to multiple readings and counting play, and all the Sesame Street royalty is here: Elmo; Abby Cadabby; Oscar the Grouch; Big Bird and his teddy bear, Radar; Cookie Monster; Prairie Dawn; Rosita, and even Bert, feeding his pigeons up on the roof. (I’m assuming Super Grover was off, patrolling the city.) Also available in Spanish (5 Patitos de Hule), this is absolute storytime, classtime, kidtime fun.

Kindness Makes the World Go ‘Round, by Sesame Workshop, (Apr. 2018, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), $10.99, ISBN: 9781492660569