Angus and the Ducks

Angus

by Marjorie Flack

When Angus, a very curious young terrier, sees that the door is open one day, he decides to go exploring. Little does he know what neighbors await him!Farrar, Straus and Giroux is proud to reintroduce Angus and the Ducks, along with its companion books, Angus and the Cat and Angus Lost. These classic tales of the feisty, lovable Angus will once again delight children everywhere.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Dogs, Animals, Fiction, Birds, Adventure

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1930

About the author

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjori...

Marjorie Flack was an American artist and writer of children's picture books. She was best known for The Story about Ping (1933), illustrated by Kurt Wiese, popularized by Captain Kangaroo, and for her stories of an insatiably curious Scottish terrier named Angus, who was actually her dog. Her first marriage was to artist Karl Larsson; she later married poet William Rose Benét.

Her book Angus Lost was featured prominently in the film Ask the Dust (2006), starring Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek, in which Farrell's character teaches Hayek's character, a Mexican, to read English using Flack's book.

Flack's grandson, Tim Barnum, and his wife, Darlene Enix-Barnum, currently sponsor an annual creative writing award at Anne Arundel Community College. The Marjorie Flack Award for Fiction consists of a $250 prize for the best short story or children's storybook written by a current AACC student.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story has such beautiful illustrations, alternating between colour pages and black and white, we find Angus, a little black Scottish terrier who is full of fun and inquisitiveness. The illustrations are accurately observed, Marjorie Flack has perfectly reproduced this little dog's expressions. The story is so delightful, no big plot just a small dog learning about the world around him. In this episode he encounters some ducks. The story is humorous and a pleasure for any age to read!

Read on open library.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published in 1930, Angus and the Ducks is the first of several picture-books devoted to the doings of its eponymous canine hero, an energetic, curious Scottish terrier puppy, and is a sheer delight to read. The simple text follows Angus as he slips out one day - the door between INDOORS and OUTDOORS being accidentally left open - and sets out to investigate the odd quacking sounds coming from the other side of the green hedge surrounding his yard. His encounter with the ducks on the other side doesn't go quite as expected - never get between a duck and its water trough! - and Angus is routed by his anatine foes, and suitably chastened. For the time being, that is...

An amusing tale, one which captures the delightful joie-de-vivre, the boundless enthusiasm of puppies - their eagerness to explore, their keen appreciation of any and all objects as possible chewing toys, their yappy (in Angus' case) communication style - Angus and the Ducks has both narrative and artistic charm. I echo the reviewer who has praised the typographical choices made with this one, as the judicious use of capitalization really adds emphasis, and the layout of the text itself works flawlessly with the images. The artwork is simply charming, alternating between full-color illustrations, and black-and-white spreads, and perfectly captures Angus' antics. All in all, a sweet little book, ideally suited for young dog lovers! I can't wait to read the subsequent two Angus titles, Angus and the Cat and Angus Lost !

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angus is a charmer and this book written and illustrated in an utterly delightful way, it feels at once so of the era in which it was published and yet also is so timeless in its appeal. Angus is such a personality, I feel like I know him (and love him) instantly.

I remember Angus from my childhood. I'm glad this review, from 1930, ended up being true:
“Among the many...picture books of this season, Angus and the Ducks stands out for good and sufficient reasons. It is good to look at, it is delightful to read aloud...and above all it has an inner and outer harmony...There is every prospect that Angus and the Ducks can lay claim to a kind of permanence.” ―Books, 1930

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute ending.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a perfect representation of how terriers interact with their world. Puppy terriers in particular. Having a terrier puppy may be making me partial to this book but so it goes. Anyway, I think the writing and the pictures are a great match. There is an interesting use of capitalization to add emphasis and the way that the type is distributed on the page gives the whole thing a feeling of movement and surprise. The narration of the situation almost makes the pictures unfold like an America's Funniest Home Video tape (anyone who has spent any time watching this show knows that when you add geese it's going to be funny).

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

2010: This is one of the most charming books I've read. Angus the dog is curious about everything. He wonders what that quacking sound is on the other side of the hedge, but he can never find out because he's always attached to a leash . . . until one day. I love the ending! My 3-year-old son also loved this book. We'll definitely be reading the other Angus books soon.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary ~ Angus is a young Scottish terrier who is curious about everything. His curiosity leads him to the other side of the hedge and quickly back again when two ducks chase him out of their territory.

I have loved Angus the dog stories since I was a little girl. I still love them and read them today to young children.

Marjorie Flack's use of capitalized letters and hyphenated words add emphasis and character to the reading of this story. The illustrations alternate between two facing black and white pages, then two facing color pages. Her use of perspective draws our attention to the main character, Angus, and to the other creatures in the story—-a cat and two ducks. We know there are humans in Angus’ world only by the settings that reflect them. Angus, as dog, is fully developed as the main character through illustrations revealing realistic expression and action. The combination of illustration and text carry the satisfying plot from beginning to end.

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most delightfully illustrated books ever. The composition of each drawing is just right, the expressions on Angus's face priceless, and the way every other page is in black and white interesting. The story is so good to read aloud, lots of fun sounds to make, great skill with words, and much humor. The bright primary colors appeal to children.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

This use to be in the preschool film packet (live action if I remember) way back when I started as a Children's librarian. I don't think I ever used it as a book in story time because of that and unfortunately there are only a couple left in the system now, one with 91 circs.

[Ms. C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moral of the story: don't mess with waterfowl.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

A dogs adventure. Cute artwork. Ok story. Didn’t care for the ending but it was ok.

[Juli19 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Angus, a very curious dog. Angus was always checking everything around him. He was curious about things that come apart and things that do not, like slippers. However, he could not go outdoors to explore because he had a leash. One day the front door was open and Angus wanted so bad to go out that he pulled the leash very hard that he was set free. Angus ran to the garden and across the ledge he found two ducks. Angus barked at them and the ducks ran away. Angus chased the ducks until they stopped at a stone watering. Angus stopped barking too and he began to check around the place. A few minutes later, the ducks looked at Angus and then they chased Angus. Angus began to run back to the house. One of the ducks ripped Angus's tail, Angus ran faster to the house and he hid under the sofa. Angus was so scared that he was not curious anymore. I did not like the story, it was king of boring. I think is ok just for children to practice their reading.

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

My love for Angus knows no bounds. I'm aware that this is primarily the result of being a child whose family almost always had a Scottish Terrier, but how can you not adore this dog? In this installment, Angus's curiosity takes him through the open door and under the hedge so he can investigate that strange "quackity" sound. But this little black dog may be in over his head when his bark isn't as bad as the ducks' bite! The whole Angus series of books by Marjorie Flack is a delight, for lovers of Scotties and all curious dogs.

[Laura Harrison]

Sweet, lovely classic series. A must have for every child's library.

[Robert Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful story of a little Scottish Terrier whose curiosity gets the better of him as he goes off in search of adventure and discovers some interesting new neighbors.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to Angus and the Ducks as an audio book. The piano music that accompanied the story was awesome. Angus is a Scottie. that is very curious of the world. One the door is left open and he escapes to investigate the noises coming from the pond. He discovers ducks that are making lots of noise. He gets a bit to close, the duck nip at his tail. Angus scurries home as fast as his short legs can take him.

Teaching application -The music in this audio book really helped set the mood and emotions for this story. Have the kids chat about how it made them feel. I might. try a See, Say,Write activity with this story.

[FM Family · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old fashioned simple but sweet story about Angus who goes barking after these ducks with them eventually having enough of him. One of those tales about an endearing, curious puppy who is annoying to the other animals around him, but not in a mean-spirited way. Holds up in the many years since it was written both in terms of being an engaging story and not having anything racist or otherwise horrible that tends to ruin the longevity of older books. My three year old enjoyed it but wasn't enthused by it.

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angus, a young puppy, is very curious about the world around him like who was that little dog in the mirror and “Things-Which-Come-Apart and those Things-Which-Don’t-Come-Apart such as SLIPPERS and gentlemen’s SUSPENDERS and things like that.” He’s also very curious about things outside, but there his ability to investigate things is limited by a leash and the person holding it. But one day an open door allows him to escape outdoors and find out what was making that quacking noise next door, and there he makes some surprising and startling new discoveries.

[Olivia S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this! One of those sweet old-fashioned picture books (Copyright 1930) with lovely illustrations. Angus is curious about the ducks across the street and one day he gets a chance to go check them out. Starts out a bit text-heavy, but lightens up as it goes. So sweet. Will display for pet storytime. 3+

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This adorable little Scottish terrier was curious about everything. One day he got out of the house and went to see what was making the quacking sound. He ended up running home quicker than he'd left. Cute story and illustrations.

[Barbara Schafer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute story about a sweet puppy who gets in over his head with a pair of ducks. I recommend this book to anyone. I am a big Angus fan and I think the reader will want to read more stories about Angus.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic! Still hilarious. This book will be enjoyed by anyone familiar with either dogs or ducks (although they look and act more like geese, to me.)

[Tobi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely artwork! Though I prefer the black and white over the colour. It is a nice contrast between the two though.

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

8/20/19 Read with Julia

[Gladimore · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son couldn't get enough of this and its hilarious storyline and sound effects read by me.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute story to read with littles.

[spookybelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Angus is cute. The ducks are cute. But I have misgivings about the "curiosity killed the cat" messaging.

[Courtney Hardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations were super cute!

[Sydney Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, clean fun for your littles.

[Sparrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is cute as all hell.