What would you do to take care of the class duck for a day? A genuine, warm, and witty tale of determination and unlikely friendship.Abby’s class has a duck named Max who waddles and quacks and makes your feet all warm when he sits on them. Even though Max is a duck with demands — from an ideal aquatic environment to fresh strawberries — Abby might get to take him home overnight, if she can make everything perfect. And Abby is sure she can do it. The problem is, weird Noah from next door wants to take Max home, too. Abby can hear him digging on his side of the fence, but she knows he’ll never get Max. A duck needs calm, and what can Noah do about his chaotic backyard and noisy sisters? Splashed with charming illustrations and brimming with humor and heart, this story of bestlaid plans and unexpected cooperation is one that every kid will relate to.
Meg McKinlay is a poet as well as a children's writer. She lives in Australia.
Leila Rudge received a degree in illustration from Bath Spa University in her native England and now lives in Australia.
A fresh take on a perennially appealing topic—the class pet... Appropriately for its audience, this early chapter book features an open and accessible layout, with frequent pencil illustrations that enhance the humor, help propel the action, and even occasionally add to characterization. Max may be a temporary visitor, but new readers will want to take DUCK FOR A DAY home on a more permanent basis.
—The Horn Book
Offering a droll, understated narrative and angular pencil illustrations, well-matched collaborators McKinlay and Rudge make the most of an auspicious premise... Underlying the story's lightheartedness is a neatly delivered lesson about responsibility and cooperation.
—Publishers Weekly
Keeping to the theme of old concepts in new guises, the sweet story recounted in Meg McKinlay's DUCK FOR A DAY gives us the eternal tension between pet-crazy children and pet-averse parents... This gentle chapter book for children ages 7-11 turns on the question of whether Abby, with her fastidious parents, or Noah, with his messy ones, will have the joy of hosting Max, the class duck, for one long delicious overnight...Leila Rudge sprinkles the pages with amusing drawings of the wide-faced human characters and the wide-bottomed duck. When things go awry (as they must) and Max vanishes from Abby's house, it takes all of her and Noah's ingenuity and mimicry to get him back safely.
—Wall Street Journal
