Mallard Duck at Meadow View Pond

Smithsonian's Backyard

by Wendy Pfeffer, Taylor Oughton (Illustrator)

Growing up on the pond, Mallard Duck and his siblings have all sorts of adventure! Children will follow them as they grow from little hatchlings to young adults ready to migrate south for the winter. Reviewed by the Smithsonian Institution for accuracy, Mallard Duck at Meadow View Pond is a fun and informative story with beautifully detailed illustrations. Watch your children have a blast reading and learning about the animals that live in an American backyard!



Book
- An informative storyline and colorful illustrations
- Appropriate for ages 3-9
- Hardcover 12 x 8 3/4 inches

Genres: Animals, Picture Books, Childrens, Nature, Birds

31 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Wendy Pfeffer is an award winning author of many children’s books. A former teacher and nursery school director, Mrs. Pfeffer lives in Pennington, New Jersey. In addition to writing, she continues to teach writing and visit schools to share her work.

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book all about ducks! It has quite a bit of information, but some of the terms weren't really defined or explained well. I could see having to stop and explain when reading depending on the age of the child.

There were also a few things that were a little harsh like a hawk trying to get at the baby ducklings and the fact that one or two ducklings "may not be so lucky" next time when narrowing escaping from a snapping turtle. It was hard to tell what age this is for. It's written with a tone for younger kids but it has some kind of unsavory elements.

Nevertheless, it does cover quite a bit of the environment and life stages of ducks and I really liked the illustrations. For the right age and with supplementary explanation, this could be a fun, educational book.

[Octavia Cade · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some lovely illustrations here, particularly of the mother duck. All the Smithsonian Backyard books have nice illustrations, of course, but these are more appealing than usual. They're also in service of an animal that, for once, I'm quite familiar with. Many of the subjects of this series don't live in New Zealand, but I've very fond memories of going to feed the ducks at Queen's Gardens in Nelson when I was a kid, and a love of ducks has persisted. And ducklings, of course, are always wonderful to see.

There seemed to be a bit more information in the text than usual, too. Extra points for that.

[Lucy Kirby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the beautiful illustrations, but the text felt a bit dry.