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Hey, Duck!

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Perfect for every Easter basket,  adorable Duck and Cat make their board book debut in this quacktastic "tail" about fun and friendship! 

A small little duckling is trying to befriend another duck, but what if that "duck" . . . is actually a cat? Toddlers will love this quack-tastic story that celebrates being an individual - and a good friend.

Look for these other books featuring Duck and

Just a Duck?

Sleepover Duck  


Praise for Carin Bramsen's Duck and Cat books!

Hey, Duck!

"A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together." — Kirkus Reviews

". . . should tickle preschoolers." — Publishers Weekly

Just a Duck?

"Outstanding . . . An endearing story for group or one-on-one sharing." — School Library Journal

"The tale is equal in every way to the visual appeal . . . Sweet, tender and delightful." — Kirkus Reviews

"A gently funny story of the differences, similarities, and compromises that make for rewarding friendships" — Publishers Weekly 

2016 Buckeye Book Award nominee!

Sleepover Duck!

"Cat and Duck are as delightful as ever in this third outing in the series . . . Little readers will feel the warmth of these loving, endearing friends." -   Kirkus Reviews

"Duck’s sleepover enthusiasm is infectious." -  Publishers Weekly

"Children will enjoy the illustrations that make the animals look soft, fluffy, and expressive." -  School Library Journal

32 pages, Board Book

First published January 1, 2013

4 people are currently reading
79 people want to read

About the author

Carin Bramsen

9 books8 followers

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Community Reviews

5 stars
118 (31%)
4 stars
128 (34%)
3 stars
85 (22%)
2 stars
33 (8%)
1 star
9 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
Profile Image for Stacy.
1,003 reviews90 followers
February 12, 2021
This story was cute and humorous and the pictures were adorable. We especially enjoyed the cat's and duck's facial expressions.
Profile Image for Kathryn.
360 reviews
August 1, 2016
My daughter Emily (18 months) loves this book! It is a cute book about how friendships can come in any form. Just because you're a cat, doesn't mean you can't a friend who is a duck! Cute story!
Profile Image for Tim.
Author 8 books49 followers
November 5, 2012
OK, I am biased. My nickname since high school is "Duck." I am easily charmed by duckling books. Add to that, that the kitten in this book bears a striking resemblance to our Buffy Sainte Meow (who died unexpectedly early this year)...and you have a recipe for a completely biased opinion...

But I found this adorable and enjoyable from beginning to end. The extra fluffy characters in the mostly full-bleed illustrations are expressive in body and face. The duckling's enthusiastic confusion, the kitten's grumpy resistance to the fun...toddlers will eat this up at story time or during a lap sit. It's as much fun to read as it is to look at.

Highly recommended. 4.5 stars if I could!
Profile Image for Sara.
304 reviews2 followers
March 6, 2024
The illustrations are beautiful! My son enjoyed it as much as I did 😆
Profile Image for Jessie Alexander-East.
12 reviews
Read
October 16, 2013
A duck keeps calling her friend, Cat, a duck much to the dismay of said cat. The rhyming text is very well done and would be perfect for a beginning reader; the illustrations are funny and surprising; and the story line will invite interesting discussion! An excellent author/illustrator debut for Bramsen!
Profile Image for Lara.
4,234 reviews348 followers
February 5, 2013
The story is pretty adorable--a little duckling keeps insisting that Duck (really a cat) should come play with him. But something about the illustrations bothers me; they just feel too computer generated somehow I think. Sweet book about friendship, though...
56 reviews
April 22, 2013
LOVE LOVE LOVE the illustrations in this story. The duck and cat are so cute that you will want them to come to life off the pages. Great question is "Can a Duck and Cat be friends?" of course they can.
Profile Image for Starlequinn Angel.
Author 7 books18 followers
July 27, 2023
“Hey, Duck!” is a picture book written for children ages infant to 3 years old. It hasn’t won any awards but is still a great book. The book is about a duck trying to befriend a cat who he thinks is a duck just like him. The cat is grumpy because he tries to explain that he is not a duck but instead a cat and doesn’t want to hang out. I rated this book a 5 star because it is a very silly and cute story with a happy ending. The pictures in the book are very bright and fun and I think that’s important in a book written for toddlers. The story had a good build up, problem, and solution to the problem. It was fast paced and straightforward which is also good for children this age. When working with toddlers I would use this book to identify animals and their sounds, specifically a cat and a duck and create a silly crafting activity that follows this story.
46 reviews
Read
October 8, 2021
The book is about a duck that thinks the cat is also a duck, he does around talking to him like a duck but the cat gets mad when he cause he knows he isn’t a duck. So he tells the duck to leave him alone but then realizes that he misses him and wants to be friends. The cat in the book is grumpy at the beginning but towards the end, he’s nice and friendly. The duck is always friendly and respects the cat’s wish to be alone. The illustration seems to be made through the computer and they also picked very light calm colors. I like how the book shows that it’s okay to be friends with people that aren’t the same as you. I also think we can use this book when talking about making friendships and building that bond with our differences.
702 reviews
picture-books
July 11, 2023
Preschool Storytime
Attendees: 58
Date: 6.09.23
Theme: Ducks

Introduction and announcements: Put Your Hands up High

Book one: Hey Duck! By Carin Bramsen

Song/rhyme/game one: 5 Little Duck flannel board

Song/ rhyme/ game two: Behold the Duck
Behold the duck.
It does not cluck.
A cluck it lacks.
It quacks.
It is especially fond.
Of a puddle or pond
When it dines or sups,
It bottoms up.

Book two: Duddle Puck the Puddle Duck by Karma Wilson

Song/rhyme/game three: Dance, Freeze, Melt by Mr. Eric and Mr. Michael

Book three: Duck, Duck, Dad? By Lorna Scobie

Song/ rhyme/ game four: I Know a Chicken by Laurie Berkner

Activity: https://rainydaymum.co.uk/wp-content/...
Profile Image for Anna.
2,443 reviews17 followers
June 25, 2022
It's a cute book about a duck who thinks the cat is a duck . Then the duck tries to convince the cat that they are actually a duck so much so that the cat is starting to think perhaps they are in fact a duck and not a cat after all. It's a cute and silly story. The illustrations are adorable! I love them.
Profile Image for Colleen.
1,031 reviews11 followers
November 16, 2022
This is the adorable story of a duckling who mistakes a cat for a duck and asks the cat to come play. Eventually the duck gives up on the cat but the cat finds that they miss the duck's company. The Illustrations are gorgeous and expressive - you'll want to reach out and pet the soft fur of both duck and cat.
Profile Image for Melitta Jackson.
205 reviews25 followers
March 14, 2017
I love the art in this, and the whole concept was adorable. However, towards the end of the book got a little disconnected. Something was a little off by it, it almost felt rushed and forced. Will update as soon as my niece reads it.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
207 reviews7 followers
January 10, 2018
This is a lovely story about how one can have friends with different likes and dislikes. The illustrations are beautiful and funny enough to make a 17 month old chuckle. The prose is concise and has rhythm without being too much.
Profile Image for Jude.
108 reviews8 followers
July 22, 2019
My 14 month old is obsessed with rubber ducks and our cat. He makes me read this to him over and over at nap time and carries it to us. He screams if we don't read it at least 3 times. Will definitely be buying the others in this series. Thank you!
Profile Image for Emily Nofziger.
45 reviews
Read
February 22, 2022
Following the story of a duck who just wants to be friends with a cat, who the duck insists is another duck, you see the cat and duck become friends and learn that even though they are not the same, a cat and a duck, they can still be friends and have fun together.
Profile Image for Ashley.
Author 10 books49 followers
August 8, 2023
The Hey Duck books are one of my most favorite books to read to my kids. The sing song rhymes are fun to read and I love the font changes so I can do character voices. I think I might love these books more than my kids. Highly recommend!
Profile Image for Joy Keil.
609 reviews
January 25, 2018
My daughter loves this one... she'd give it a 5/5. I think I've read it about a dozen times yesterday and today alone. Fun, but not that fun. haha
Profile Image for R.
2,299 reviews6 followers
February 11, 2018
This is one of of FAVORITE children's book! It's so cute and the illustrations are perfect. We love these two characters so much!
Profile Image for Renee MA.
405 reviews18 followers
June 7, 2018
While the idea is cute, and the art sweet, the forced rhyming ruins the whole thing.
Profile Image for Rhoda.
128 reviews
July 6, 2021
It was ok. My little one didn't care for it. It couldn't decide if it wanted to rhyme or not.
Profile Image for Kathy.
50 reviews
September 27, 2013
Description: A duck tries to befriend a cat that he does not know is a cat. He thinks the cat is a duck and talks to him as if he is a duck. The cat gets upset, but when the duck goes missing he realizes that friendship is more important than labels.


Curriculum connection: The book is filled with words like float/boat, cat/scat, duck/truck. So, it would really help children identify and produce words that rhyme and that have shared ending sounds.


Personal reaction to the book: I really loved the moral of the story-that friendship is more important than labels.


Assessment of the visual appeal: This a beautiful book. The pictures are live-in and have a real-life look to them. As I'm flipping through the pages, it feels like I'm looking through a photo album.

Genre: Picture Storybook

Intended audience: Preschool-Grade 2
Profile Image for Amber.
434 reviews16 followers
April 21, 2015
Fantastically cute illustrations, especially the cat!
Simple and fun text makes it a good read for storytimes!
Duck thinks that Cat is a very interesting looking duck and asks the Cat why it looks so weird, following Cat around and being a bot of a pest. Cat finally shakes Duck off after climbing a tree to take a nap, but when Cat wakes up it's a little confused and begins to think maybe it is a duck after all so he runs off to find Duck. Needless to say, the two become friends and learn that whether you are a duck or a cat you can have differences and similarities and get a long just fine.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews