Katy Duck, Center Stage

Katy Duck

by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Katy Duck dreams of dancing on a great stage with lights, costumes, and, of course, lots of applause. She practices and practices for her big recital, but when the curtain opens, Katy sees that there’s a great big audience. Suddenly, this dancing duck has a classic case of stage fright! Is it too late, or will Katy Duck realize she can shine center stage? This humorous story is just right for any duck or child anxious about having their moment in the spotlight.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Fiction, Childrens

16 pages, Board Book

First published May 6, 2008

About the author

Alyssa Satin Capucilli was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1957. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College, and pursued her interest in dance, becoming a professional dancer and dance instructor. Though Capucilli had written stories, poems, and even puppet shows as a child, she didn't consider a career as a writer until after her own two children were born. To this day she sees herself as both a dancer and a writer, and the two professions complement each other nicely: dancing is, in her words, “telling stories in another way,” and readers of her children's books can attest to the rhythm of her language. Since 1994, she has written more than 15 books for children, and her work has been translated into French, Hebrew, Afrikaans, Greek, and Bulgarian.

Capucilli lives in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, with her husband and children. They have a chocolate Labrador retriever named Huckleberry, who likes to watch the author at work.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t love this book. I just wish it went a bit further in regards to dealing with fear and or failure.

[Destiny Dawn Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

Katy Duck loves to dance. She dances all day. And she's very excited about the upcoming dance show for her class. But when she takes the stage, she's not prepared for so many people watching her!

It's a cute story about coping with an unfamiliar situation. The language is pretty good and the story seems easy enough for toddlers to follow. I liked that there were interesting words for vocabulary building.

Illustrations are cute and work well with the story. As far as style it's not entirely my cup of tea, but there's nothing wrong with them (just personal taste).

[Val · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story, not hard to read. About a dance recital. This is a popular choice among my "ballerina" preschoolers, though I have to say I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Angelina Ballerina. ;-)