School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-When the king "borrows" Duck's prize-winning jelly beans and doesn't return them even after a year has passed, Duck sets off to bring them back. Along the way, he meets his friends Dog, Lady Ladder, Babbling Brook, and the wasps, and they offer to help. Duck suggests they shrink; then he carries Dog and Lady Ladder in his pocket, Brook in his gullet, and the wasps in his ear. Each of them plays a part in his encounter with the king. This fast-moving, simplified version of the French tale "Drakestail" doesn't take itself too seriously. Gerstein's childlike cartoons depict Duck in a tall peasant hat, Ladder with bows and pigtails, and Brook with a watery grin and blue nose. The king is a pudgy boy in jeans, T-shirt, and a crown that looks like a backward-facing baseball cap. In the end, the king apologizes and Duck accepts, because "You can't have too many friends!" This is a lighter-than-air confection, but the playful message will appeal to children, who will enjoy the story's simple sense of fairness and broad good humor.-Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Nonsense and naivete rule Caldecott-winner Gerstein's (The Man Who Walked Between the Towers) retelling of Charles Marelle's 1888 fairy tale, "Drakestail." In this version of the repetition-driven story, the king-a heavyset boy wearing Chuck Taylors, a crown with the brim of a baseball cap, and an "I'm the king" T-shirt-"borrows" a bumper crop of farmer Duck's prize-winning jelly beans. After a year passes with the king failing to return the candy, Duck sets off to retrieve it. En route, he accumulates companions that mirror those in "Drakestail," whom he transports by having them shrink down to ride in his pocket, gullet, or ear (in the case of a swarm of wasps). One by one, they help thwart the king's attempts to do away with Duck. Gerstein's mixed-media cartooning creates a freewheeling atmosphere of silliness, although the dialogue is so lively ("I don't think my jelly beans are really here," says Duck after being led into the king's oven) that the brief bits of narration are almost superfluous. Still, it's an entertaining story of justice and jelly beans. Ages 3-7. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.