Fix-It Duck

April 1, 2002
The trouble begins with a leaky roof in the sequel to Duck in a Truck, Fix-It Duck by Jez Alborough, and follows the, er, handy quacker on a series of missteps.

May 1, 2002
PreS-Gr 1-Duck, Sheep, Goat, and Frog are together again in this sequel to Duck in the Truck (HarperCollins, 1999). This time, Duck fancies himself a repairman when he thinks his roof is leaking. He leaves to enlist the help of his friends and finds more things that seem to need fixing, only to cause havoc and quite a bit of damage to unfortunate Sheep's trailer. In the very first picture, Frog notices the real reason for the leak (Duck has forgotten to turn off his bathwater), but he cannot get his attention. Alborough tells the story in rhyming couplets with a cadence that engages listeners and advances the action through hilarious scenes. The large, vivid illustrations provide the visual narration for the misadventures. The pictures both delight (bright red truck, vibrant green jeep, multicolored umbrella) and comfort (claw-foot bathtub, fluffy bathrobe, steaming mugs). This book will have broad appeal to preschool audiences and work well for storytime crowds.-Laurie von Mehren, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OH

Copyright 2002 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2002
Ages 2-5. Mishap upon hilarious mishap follows one upon another when Fix-It Duck sets out to repair what he believes is his leaking roof. First Duck borrows a ladder from Sheep. But the skylight on Sheep's trailer is stuck, so well-intentioned Duck attempts to fix it. Instead, he breaks the window. Now Duck must tow Sheep's trailer into Goat's shed, where it will be out of the rain. But how to tow the trailer? Duck saws off the ladder he borrowed and uses it as a hitch, which works just fine until a swerve on a curve sends Duck's truck off in one direction--and the trailer in another. And so the slapstick fun proceeds, all of it presented in vibrantly colored frames of funny cartoon art that is well matched to Alborough's quick-footed rhyme: "'Look up the hill,' gasps Goat in dismay. 'It's Sheep,' quacks Duck, 'And he's coming this way!'" This entertaining adventure is sure to be a read-aloud favorite; try pairing it with Duck's previous escapade "Duck in the Truck" (1999) or one of Nancy Shaw's wacky sheep books, such as "Sheep in a Jeep "(1986). (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2002
Always eager to spring into action, Duck hastens to repair what he thinks is a leak in his roof, but his misguided efforts cause one catastrophe after another. A helpful frog plays a somewhat artificial role in the story. However, the rhyming text is well suited to Duck's wacky exploits and so are the energetic illustrations, which, appropriately enough, frequently escape their boxed margins.

(Copyright 2002 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)