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Truck Full of Ducks

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Did you call for a truck full of ducks?

Bernie is on the road to make a duck delivery when one of the ducks EATS the directions. Oh no! How will he find his customer?

Join the flock on this wacky call-and-response ride to find out just WHO ordered a truck full of ducks -- and why!

Ross Burach's screwball comedy is filled with surprise twists and crafty jokes that will quack you up!

36 pages, Hardcover

First published March 27, 2018

7 people are currently reading
236 people want to read

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Ross Burach

50 books75 followers

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5 stars
317 (29%)
4 stars
411 (38%)
3 stars
280 (26%)
2 stars
52 (4%)
1 star
15 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews
Profile Image for Chance Lee.
1,399 reviews158 followers
June 21, 2018
Jam-packed with detail on every page. Talks about a variety of trucks -- mail trucks, dump trucks, duck trucks, etc.
Profile Image for Sandy.
2,807 reviews71 followers
April 5, 2018
Ok, who ordered the ducks? This was a cute storybook and I loved the illustrations. The storyline is simple and I am sure after a few times through this book, young children would be able to recite and enjoy this gem by themselves.

It’s a truck full of quacky ducks and as ducks are, they ate the part of the invoice that had the address where they were to be delivered. Dog, the driver has to ask a variety of individuals that he sees on the road, if they had ordered the ducks and I enjoyed each of the responses that he received. They’re all different, each one is comical and the illustration is perfect. For example: dog asks a young girl if she ordered the ducks as she on the sidewalk with her phone. She tells dog that, she “called for a mall truck” and sitting right beside her is a large parcel with a head sticking out of it, a stamp across it’s lips. On the parcel is written: CONTENTS: 1 Brother Please mail very far away.

The illustrations are bright and colorful, the text font is large and simple. Watch the ducks as the truck continues on its journey as they don’t just sit still and enjoy the ride, they’re enjoying themselves. So, who do you think phoned in for the truck full of ducks? The final pages will tell you and it will definitely put a smile on your face. I highly recommend you check out this book – you really do need to read it!
Profile Image for Abigail.
8,026 reviews265 followers
May 31, 2019
The "Truck Full of Ducks" service hits a snag when one of the anatine passengers (or are they workers?) eats the directions to their newest client's house in this amusing, madcap picture-book adventure. As Bernie the driver asks everyone they meet whether they ordered a truck full of ducks, the reader gets to tag along as this truckful of fun encounters all sorts of odd vehicles, businesses, and homes. When they finally arrive at a fox's home in the deep, dark woods, it seems that something very sinister is about to occur. But is it...?

Author/illustrator Ross Burach's fourth picture-book - his fifth, if you count Jennifer Hamburg's Billy Bloo is Stuck in Goo , which he illustrated - Truck Full of Ducks pairs an wacky, entertaining tale with brightly-colored, amusing illustrations with plenty of humorous little visual details. I particularly liked the newspaper that one of the ducks was reading, with the headline "Stuff Happens" emblazoned across it. Recommended to Ross Burach fans, and to anyone looking for fun new picture-books featuring a madcap cast of characters and their offbeat adventures.
Profile Image for Shaye Miller.
1,236 reviews98 followers
May 18, 2020
With bright, bold, and expressive artwork, this funny picture book introduces us to a delivery truck driver who cannot find the customer who ordered a truck full of ducks. Everywhere he stops, the individual says they did not order a truck full of ducks. Eventually they enter a dark and spooky forest where things appear to take a turn for the worst. But I'm happy to report, SPOILER: everyone makes it out alive. :) The artwork in this book was created with pencil, crayon, acrylic paint, and digital coloring.

For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!
Profile Image for Amanda.
3,883 reviews43 followers
April 12, 2018
Cute. Liked seeing all of the different trucks and who wanted what. Wouldn't use this for a storytime. Liked the twist at the end. Is this particularly memorable? Not sure, but like I said, it was cute.
Profile Image for Mary.
3,638 reviews10 followers
November 1, 2020
Bernie is supposed to deliver a load of ducks, but the directions are eaten so the truck full of ducks goes in search of their customer. There's a lot going on in each page -- they meet a sister mailing her brother, a pirate getting a truck full of crackers, an alien getting his space ship towed, and much, much more. A goofy picture book filled with visual humor, silly wordplay, and a satisfying ending. Don't miss the toucans at the end!
Profile Image for Melki.
7,310 reviews2,619 followers
November 19, 2019
Who on earth would call for a truck full of ducks?

Well, somebody did, and Bernie is trying to find the caller. This is pure silliness and fun, and I loved the clever surprise ending.

description

For some good, clean fun, be sure to order a truck full of ducks.
Profile Image for Stephanie.
290 reviews5 followers
June 12, 2018
Hilarious and fun all about a delightful truck service that provides ducks for bathtime!
Profile Image for Robin.
4,505 reviews7 followers
July 19, 2023
Silly fun that keeps readers guessing as to who ordered a truck full of ducks.
15 reviews
October 4, 2020
One of my very favorite books to read to kids! Fun and silly
Profile Image for Lisa.
2,156 reviews24 followers
April 9, 2018
This was good fun. The story is not wordy at all, and the pictures are so much fun!! The dog is driving around with a truck full of ducks that someone ordered, one of the ducks ate the address. The end of the book is totally not what the reader would expect at all. This would be great for a storytime and a duck craft? So Much FUN!!!
Profile Image for Julie.
440 reviews2 followers
February 6, 2018
Very clever picture book with crowd-pleasing illustrations. Kids will want to point out all the funny duck antics on each page. I loved the ending and think kids will too. I would recommend for a wide age range: preK - 5th for reading aloud.
Profile Image for Mrs. Mazzola.
272 reviews14 followers
July 27, 2025
Cute story with a bit of a twist ending. Lots of humor in the illustrations though they may be funnier for the adults reading than for the kids listening. Could be a fun read aloud, but not much substance to make kids want to pick it up multiple times.
Profile Image for Theresa Grissom.
808 reviews30 followers
April 5, 2018
Super cute and definitely hilarious! Loved the pictures in this book! Can't wait to read this aloud to students. It will generate a lot of laughs.
18 reviews
February 19, 2020
A truck full of ducks is about a delivering service that drives large quantities of ducks to your address. Unfortunately, in the beginning of this book, one of the ducks eats the directions to their destination so they're sent on a journey to find their recipient. Their first stop, a young girl waiting with a box. To no surprise, she was waiting for the mail truck, not the ducks. Next stop was a construction worker. He also rejected the duck services as he was waiting for a dump truck. Then came the beach bums who called the ice cream truck. Meaning, wrong again. As the book goes on, the driver asks more and more citizens if they are waiting for a truck full of ducks. Although they are all waiting for a truck of some sort, it is never the one full of ducks. After a quick potty break, the driver and the truck full of ducks stumble upon some dark woods. From afar, they hear someone deep in the trees claim the ducks being delivered. The mailbox being labeled hungry fox and street sign labeled "1 scary way" sent the ducks into a state of fear. One even began to write a will feeling as if it were his final moments. To everyone's surprise, the fox opened the door and was ready for his post dinner bath. All along he was just looking for ducks to sit in his bubble bath. The ducks were safely returned back to the main station and the duck delivery business continued.

Characters: The delivery dog was a very dedicated and impatient character. He constantly hurried the ducks and was stressed about the time crunch of getting them to their destination. However, he was also optimistic. Even though one of the ducks ate the directions he needed to properly do his job, he didn't get mad and knew with great confidence they would find their way. Lastly, he is very naive. He saw no danger driving into the forest and leaving the ducks with the fox. Lucky for him, his intuition was right this time

The ducks on the other hand are very care free. They are truly just going with the flow. It appears they love to mess around as they're all fidgeting with each other during the delivery. Also, when they went to the bathroom, one even came out wrapped like a mummy in toilet paper. They were all super happy and consistently had smiles and smirks across their beaks.

The illustrations were by far my favorite part of this book. Without a single word, the entire story could be told through the characters body language and massive amounts going on in each picture. There was never just one thing that your eye was drawn to as every single picture was so chaotic. However, I thought this was intentional to show not only how full the truck was, but how big of a responsibility it was to deliver ALL of those ducks. The pictures used bright warm colors that were inviting and gave a very optimistic atmosphere. However, the pictures became much more dark as they entered the forest to portray scary and threatening. I think the illustrator did an awesome job of using double page spreads and making every picture so beneficial to the story. Although the text was minimal, there were so many story lines going on within the illustrations.

The text structure was also very unique to me. The author changed the different colors of the text depending on who was talking. When the duck truck driver spoke, it was always in black text. However, the respondents never replied in the same text color. When it was a young girl, the color was pink. When it was a construction worker, the text was red. When it came to the beach bums, the text was blue. Every color text was intentional and suiting to the characters illustrated on that page. I also loved how the text alternated between curvy, straight, in text bubbles, large, small, regular, there was diversity on each page. Not to mention, it was fitting for the scene or plot of what was happening within the story. The format of the book was five stars for me and really enjoyable to look at.

For my classroom, I would use this as a lesson to use the illustrations to make interpretations and present key ideas. From here, the students can take those different analysis's and add to the text. By doing this, they will learn how to expand on their writing and fill in the gaps while they read varying stories. You could also have your students write a story on what they would do if they had a truck full of ducks delivered to their place. With this, you can learn about your students and their interests and where they are at imagination wise. Letting students think in a fictional manner allows them to grow more intellectually and gives them a quick break from the heavy school content.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Barbara.
15k reviews316 followers
March 10, 2018
Bernie is determined to deliver his load of trucks to his customer even though one of the ducks has eaten the directions. Although he eventually finds his way to his destination, this mishap gives rise for several humorous scenes in which words are misunderstood or purposes are confused; for instance, there is a scene with a stuttering construction worker who denies ordering the ducks although he did order a dump truck. Later, there's another scene featuring a pirate ship with a pirate who ordered "crackers...not quakers!" All the while, the ducks are munching and drinking various foods and beverages. Honestly, each page has something guaranteed to tickle someone's funny bone, including a scene featuring Duck Removal Specialists whose sign promises "gentle suction" and that the ducks will be "returned to the flock" (unpaged). Although readers will start getting worried about those ducks once they finally reach their intended recipient, they need not worry too much. For a certain audience and a certain taste, this picture book is perfect. I deducted stars simply because I like more serious picture books with not so much color and artwork assaulting my eyes, but I won't lie: I chortled over several pages, which get better upon multiple readings. The illustrations rely on pencil, crayon, acrylic paint, and digital coloring. If someone is feeling grumpy, this book might provide a much-needed tonic and distraction. I liked this one much more than the earlier Billy Bloo is Stuck in Goo.
Profile Image for Riana (RianaInTheStacks).
383 reviews24 followers
April 18, 2024
Another pick for an upcoming Early Readers Book Club in which I have a circle reading time with a k-2nd grade group at my library and we take turns reading different pages of our chosen book. I get them Scholastic Literacy Partnerships and the kids are able to take their copy of the book home with them afterwards to keep! Then we do several activities either related to the book or more general literacy themed activities.

Lately I’ve been focusing on more educational, important topic books and they’ve been a bit longer. So this time I am going for a lighter, sillier, and shorter paged book to really capture their attention and get them laughing and having lots of fun. They enjoyed the others as well, but I think it’s good to mix it up! I was laughing myself reading this book and found it fun to look at all the extra details in the pictures (there’s lots on each spread!) and since the kiddos also love doing this, I know it’ll be a hit. Each page is pretty short but still challenging enough to get them reading. It also has some good repetition which I find helps them with learning as well as confidence. I think it will also really keep them wondering until the end- who wants the truck full of ducks and what for?!?! You’ll never guess haha.

Also, trucks? Ducks? Rhyming? Lots of possible activity ideas already! I think they are going to have a blast with this book and get excited about reading all over again.
Profile Image for Baby Bookworm.
1,642 reviews109 followers
January 12, 2019
https://thebabybookwormblog.wordpress.com/2018/11/08/truck-full-of-ducks-ross-burach/

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello, friends! Or book today is Truck Full Of Ducks by Ross Burach, the hilariously silly story of an unusual delivery.

Bernie the dog’s Truck Full Of Ducks delivery service gets an urgent order, so he herds his rascally feathered fowl into the truck and heads out. Unfortunately, one of the rambunctious ducks snacks on the directions to Bernie’s destination! How will he find his customer now? Left with no other choice, Bernie drives around and asks everyone he comes across if they ordered a Truck Full Of Ducks. But everyone is waiting for something else instead: a tow-truck for the alien’s broken-down UFO, an ice cream truck for the surfer shark, etc. Will Bernie ever find his customer? And when he does… what becomes of the ducks?

Ridiculous and charming. The dialogue-driven text and frenetic illustrations use wordplay, broad humor, and a heavy dose of irony to fill every page with jokes that are hilarious to readers both young and old. JJ loved the wild antics of the ducks, as well as the ample opportunities for character voices while reading aloud. The twist ending is amusingly unexpected, and the length is perfect for a quick read – but with plenty of details in the art that invite repeat readings. We loved this one, and highly recommend it for a laugh. Baby Bookworm approved!

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
3 reviews4 followers
January 22, 2019
Truck full of Ducks
By Ross Burach
Illustrated by Ross Burach
Scholastic Press

Would easily be my favorite silly picture book of the year, except for the questionable ending. Fun to read aloud with zany duck illustrations and creative details like the duck phone.

When the wacky ever-hungry ducks eat the delivery driver’s directions, how is he going to find his customer? He looks for anybody that might have ordered a truck of something. He finds everything from an alien that called for a tow truck for his space ship to someone who needed a duck removal truck. Who ordered the ducks? The answer is in the Deep Dark Woods...and there’s where it becomes problematic.

The idea is great… a scary animal, fox, actually just wants to have fun bath time with the duckies. BUT, this may trigger fears of molestation or sexual abuse in some. The idea that this is a business who delivers these little ones to the scary fox so he can bathe with them is alarming. There are other ways to end the story positively, maybe with a birthday party or something more innocent.
Review based on Advanced Reader Copy
Profile Image for Patrick.
90 reviews1 follower
March 31, 2018
A 'guess who' read for 3-6. Dog delivers ducks, anywhere, anytime. He gets a phone call for a duck order, but the hungry ducks eat the directions. Dog drives all over town encountering characters like a construction worker, a pirate and a space alien looking for his customer. In the end, the ducks and the readers get a surprise.

I like the rhythm of the book as it alternated pages between 'Who called for a truck full of ducks' and the character pages. This allows you to guess who may have order the ducks. The various customer characters of the book add some opportunity for creative voice work. The illustrations are thick with lots of things to look at and discuss, like the types of ice cream the ducks are eating or the the space aliens bumper stickers.

At the end comes an uh-oh moment when you see who really ordered the ducks. It turns into a laugh when you turn the page.
Profile Image for Rose Rosetree.
Author 15 books477 followers
August 21, 2023
Intentionally hilarious though this book might be, I can't bring myself to shelve this title under HUMOR. Nothing could be farther from my personal sense of what's funny.

Still, one reader's gross nightmare is another person's refreshing-and-original screwball comedy.
For instance, here's some sample dialog:

Did you call for a truck full of ducks?
No, dude, not us. We called for an ice cream truck.


Depending on how hard you laugh at words like these, combined with slapstick illustrations, you'll either REALLY, REALLY like this picture book or... not at all.

Obviously, though, it's fair to rate this book in honor of the indended audience (even though I'm not in this group), so FIVE STARS.
Profile Image for Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book*.
6,034 reviews219 followers
March 2, 2018
Burach, Ross Truck Full of Ducks. PICTURE BOOK. Scholastic Press, 2018. $18. 9781338129366.

Someone called for a Truck Full of Ducks, but since someone ate the orders, no one knows where they should be going. Follow the ducks all around town as they try to figure out their mission.
Okay, you might have to ask yourself – why a truck full of ducks? But, really you should just enjoy this intensely funny (though a tiny, tiny bit scary) duck-load of laughs! What a great addition to storytime!

Pre-K, EL (K-3) – ESSENTIAL. Cindy, Library Teacher
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018/...
Profile Image for CTWard.
53 reviews1 follower
September 10, 2019
A fun and interactive read for both children and adults.
"Truck Full of Ducks" is a good pick for a fun story-time group and as a one-on-one read to a child.
The illustrations are jammed with details keeping children and adults fully entertained and are large enough for a group story-time. The story line is simple and easy, allowing the reader to make interactive voices for each character and to ad-lib the story based on the illustrated details. The story itself is a "kiddie mystery" as the protagonist attempts to figure out who ordered all these ducks in order to make his delivery on time.
Profile Image for nAeEMak نعیمک.
443 reviews3 followers
Read
October 24, 2025
خیلی زیاد بانمک بود. بیشتر از هر چیزی این تصویرسازی‌اش بود که انگار داشت قصه را می‌ساخت و پر از شوخی‌ها و بانمکی‌های تصویری بود. از یک کامیون اردک که انگار هر لحظه قرار بودخرابکاری کنند و هر لحظه مشغول کاری بودند تا آدم‌ها و موجوداتی که کامیون پیش‌شان می‌رفت. شوخ‌طبعی در خود قصه هم وجود داشت. ریزبینی و بانمکی در قصه و تصویر که باعث می‌شد در عین اینکه شبیه داستان‌هایی مثل خودش باشد اما وجه تمایز خیلی زیادی را هم با آن‌ها داشته باشد. یکی از چیزهای خیلی جالبش برای من این بود که واقعاً حس می‌کردم این کامیون در حال حرکت است چون هم شخصیت‌ها در یک حال نبودند و هم اتفاقاتی می‌افتاد که در یک حرکت ماشینی می‌تواند پیش بیاید؛ مثلاً اردک‌های جیش‌شان بگیرد.
Profile Image for Teresa Reads.
650 reviews5 followers
April 4, 2018
This is book is perfect when a child just wants something fun to read. Mr. Dog needs to deliver his truck full of ducks to a customer, but oh no! The ducks chewed up the address! He goes from one place to another looking for the right customer. Mr. Dog finally finds the place and it is dark and scary. What will happen to the ducks?! Could this be the end of the ducks?! No gloomy ending here, but lots of chuckles. You must pay attention to the ducks on every page because they are always up to something. Great book.
Profile Image for Mrs Heidrich.
802 reviews35 followers
May 30, 2018
(3.5) This book was a lot of fun and could be paired with some other books with unpredictable endings. Fun images with lots of details that the reader can spend as much as as little time as they want looking at. Fun story for working with cause and consequence!

Book Trailer: http://albinsondesign.com/portfolio/t...

Script for a Booktalk or reader's theatre: http://www.scholastic.ca/bookfairs/im...

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews

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