This picture book recommendation, Duck at the Door, written and illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic can be found at:
Amazon (not affiliated at this time)
https://www.worldcat.org/ Library near you
https://www.indiebound.org/ Local Bookstore
I FOUND MY NAME
I don’t often find my name in print. Not on keychains or necklaces or stickers. Irene is not a very common name, and it’s a game to try and locate it in the credits of movies. About a year ago, I went to our community’s Little Free Library to see what they had. When I turned the page of “Duck at the Door” and saw this . . .
I had to take it. Honestly, I didn’t even read the book. It didn’t matter. My name was in it! I actually found TWO books with my name that day. Time to go to Vegas.
That evening, after crawling in bed, I read the book in earnest and LOVED it! I read it to my husband, (imagine me reading a picture book to this big burly dude) and he said, “They wrote that book about you.” From having a million animals, to reading in the tub, to welcoming everyone into our home. I swear, the author even knows what my bathrobe looks like. This book is a keeper for way more reasons than having me in it.
WHY DUCK AT THE DOOR IS A PICTURE BOOK RECOMMENDATION
There is so much to love about this book. As you may know, I think reading books to our kids is one of the most important things we can do for them. This story has great art, characters, and messages that make reading time not only fun, but meaningful.
Duck at the Door is the first in a series. The Amazon title says it’s for springtime and Easter, but I think it’s another great fall and winter book because that’s when it begins and ends. It’s winter and the middle of the night when a menagerie of animals hears a knock at their door. They run upstairs and get Irene. Who’s at the door? It’s a duck at the door.
Max thinks he’ll love winter, so he doesn’t fly south with his duck friends for the winter. Irene welcomes him into her home along with all her other animal friends. Will they get along? What happens when spring comes? How can a wild animal live in the house?
Illustrations
The art in this story is comforting as well as entertaining, with soft colors and funny characters. Her illustrations add a lot of fun talking points that aren’t in the words — like why do you think Max looks so surprised when he’s reading the National Geoworld? And how do ducks drink? I also like her use of shadows. There haven’t been very many times I’ve noticed this before, but it feels authentic. I particularly like the shadow of Irene on the door. Our shadows look creepy sometimes. Have you ever noticed that? Her illustrations and silly go together perfectly.
Silly
Kids love silly, and although the plot is not as openly comical as some others, I enjoyed all the things that Max learns how to do – that are ridiculous in real life. This story provides multiple opportunities to talk with your kids about what makes it funny. Can a duck really cook? What would a duck say when it answered the phone? Quack Quack. Who’s there? Duck at the Door.
I believe children who can develop a sense of the ridiculous have the imagination to see the silly in everyday situations that might otherwise be difficult. Like getting splashed in the face or tripping and falling. It’s important to learn to laugh at ourselves. I think silly is an underrated skill.
Emotions
Jackie captures the expressions of the animals well: frustrated, surprised, happy, curious. This leads to some great discussions about emotions. Kids need to be able to put a name to how they’re feeling and recognize how someone else feels. This book provides some practice for that. It’s also fun to practice making those faces.
“How do you think they’re feeling when they’re racing up the stairs? — Have you ever felt afraid? See my scared face — can you make a scared face?”
“Wow, they really look irritated. Why do you think they feel that way? What would you do if you were that cat?” I know your kids never fight over the remote. *wink wink.
“Max sure is happy to see his family again. Who would you be happy to see again?” This is a great question if you’re doing foster care or share custody of kids. We miss family when they’re gone, but we sure are happy to see them again.
Animals
The thing that had my husband laughing the most was all the animals. He knows that I would have one of every animal out there. I’ve rescued sugar gliders, hamsters, stray cats and dogs. I’ve had rabbits and horses and kept a donkey in the backyard for my sister. I would love to have a duck! Again, another great talking point for kids. Maybe you have a lot of animals, or maybe you can’t have any animals where you live. What animal would your child like if they could have any animal they wanted?
Seasons
As I noted earlier, you can apply this story to several seasons. It’s a great opportunity to talk about why ducks fly south for the winter and why the come back in the spring. For homeschoolers, that opens a wide variety of subjects to study, making this another great starting point for the subject.
Message
Most important, I think the story’s messages make this picture book recommendation a great conversation starter for friendship, patience, learning from our mistakes, and loving others for their quirkiness.
Friendship & Patience & Learning from Mistakes
Making new friends can be hard — whether your kid is the new one or they have someone new join the group. In Duck at the Door, Max is the new kid. He has to learn a lot of new things. Sometimes that’s hard and you might make mistakes, like when Max spills the milk or doesn’t know how to share. It’s okay to make mistakes. And it’s important to learn new things.
The animals have to get used to someone new. That’s hard too. You might get frustrated and have to show patience, like Brody sharing his bed or the cats trying new food. It might be a good idea to have a grown up help you, like when the animals went to Irene with their frustrations.
I particularly like how Jackie’s pictures show the real story behind the words. When Max goes away with his family in the spring, life goes back to normal. Brody doesn’t have to share his bed. (Happy right? No, he’s sad.) The animals don’t have to share the remote. (They’re entertained now. Nope, they’re bored.)
Love & Home
Because our home is open to animals and people alike, I appreciate the message of love and home. I acquired this sign shortly after starting foster care.
One of the great benefits of having a family, is learning to be patient and love others with all their differences. We all bug each other. It’s a fact. But we miss each other when we’re apart.
I won’t give away the ending, because it’s a fun little twist. But the message is clear: Home is where you’re loved.
MY RECOMMENDATION
I didn’t receive any compensation for recommending Duck at the Door. However, the author did reach out to me and share more pictures and information from the book. There is a real Irene like me that this character represents. There will be an author interview coming soon, so stay tuned!
I hope you enjoyed this review and that you’ll visit the library with your kids, grandkids, nephews, or nieces and give “Duck at the Door” a try. Maybe add it to your personal library, like I did.
OTHER ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE
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Being Apart: Helping Kids Adjust to Having Two Houses by Our Family Wizard
YOUR TURN
Have you read this book before? If you have, share your review. Is there a book like it you’d recommend? What is your kids’ reaction when you find a book with their name it in?
