  | My brother the duck Author: Miller, Pat Zietlow | |
| Price: $22.38 | ||
Summary:
Stella Wells, fledgling scientist, has a new baby brother, Drake, and she is seriously considering the possibility that he is a duck--but further research is required to test that hypothesis.
| Illustrator: | Wiseman, Daniel |
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: LG Reading Level: 2.50 Points: .5 Quiz: 510621 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (02/01/20)
School Library Journal (05/01/20)
Booklist (03/01/20)
The Hornbook (00/07/20)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 03/01/2020 Introducing herself as “Stella Wells, fledgling scientist,” a serious-minded big sister carefully gathers evidence to support the hypothesis that her newly arrived baby brother is a duck. His name is Drake? Check. Does he quack? Very loudly. Does he have feathers? Not yet, but he’s fuzzy. Also, his bright yellow onesie is topped by a bill. And as her school principal, a duck expert, says, “If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, it’s probably a duck.” Hypothesis confirmed. The young researcher looks forward to fishing trips, shared lunches, and never again losing a game of Duck, Duck, Goose. But when her brother’s nose begins looking “almost . . . normal,” she begins to doubt her conclusions—particularly after her dad waddles by wearing big, floppy swim fins. Aha, a new hypothesis! Wiseman supplies appropriately sunny cartoon illustrations (with a diverse cast that is plainly all human) to a cheery episode that fits the bill nicely for readers who relate to the young investigator in Andrea Beaty’s Ada Twist, Scientist (2016) and like STEM-ware. - Copyright 2020 Booklist.
School Library Journal - 05/01/2020 PreS-K—Based on several observations, Stella, a budding scientist, thinks her baby brother could be a duck. So she sets out to test her hypothesis. Text and illustrations complement each other well in this amusing title. Text reads, "I spotted something odd before he was born. Dad told Mom, You're waddling. We must be having a duck.' They laughed. I didn't." lllustrations show a shadow of Stella's dad and very pregnant mom talking. Other signs include her brother's name, Drake, which means male duck, and the pacifier that looks like a duck bill. Stella finally convinces herself that having a duck for a brother wouldn't be so bad after all. The title ends with her beginning to test another hypothesis. Words like hypothesis, evidence, and inconclusive are used in a natural way which helps children build vocabulary. VERDICT A recommended purchase for library collections. This lighthearted story is a fresh take on welcoming a new sibling.—Robin Sofge, Prince William Public Library System, VA - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
