this week's book: three ducks went wandering

(idea gleefully stolen from the illustrious inchmark. brooke's flair for design is so inspired you'd think she'd worked for martha stewart or something.)

our kiddley read of the week is a vintage picture book, this one thirty years old and straight from the wooden shelves of my childhood (hence the yellowing and small tears).

sidenote: classic children's literature tends to surprise me with its grim theming and cavalier approach toward violence. still, the artwork is wonderful, and nostalgia covers a multitude of sins.

three ducks went wandering (ronald roy/paul galdone)



a trio of ducks wander away from their mother (who, clearly, needs to be paying more attention).



in their wanderings, they encounter sundry perils. first up, an angry bull:



next, a den of famished foxes:



then a hawk:



and finally, a snake:



in every case, the ducks are blissfully unaware of the danger, and narrowly escape impending doom through sheer luck and curiosity (and, perhaps, strategic plotting on the author's part).



(fortunately for our small feathered trio, the snake was still working on his coordination.)



in the end, the ducks wander RIGHT IN FRONT OF...



...their mother, and they are safe at home again.

elle loves this book nearly as much as i did at her age, saying each RIGHT IN FRONT OF with exaggerated trepidation, and clearly delighted when the ducklings wiggle out of yet another disaster. three decades later, this book still doesn't fail to charm.