Duck is Stuck

I didn't like the storyline. I didn't like the unrealistic idea that a duck could fall asleep in the middle of a lake and not realize that it is snowing and that soon he is stuck in the ice, unable to move. This strange plot is supposed to be the starter of a deep story about empathy, friendship and working together, but even on those values it doesn't work. One after the other, the animals greet duck with their compassionless phrase: “How in the world did you manage to get into that situation?”.

I particularly disliked that rabbit tries to crack the ice to free duck, which is a terrible idea to teach kids. It is tempered with moose who realizes that he is too heavy to crack the ice, but still, it then happens again with other animals.

The illustrations are minimalist and with pleasant colors, but I feel that they didn't always follow the story correctly. For example, when the duck finally set free, we saw a duck flying in the sky, looking at the ice down below. I first thought it was his friend coming back, before realizing that it was duck himself. There were no transition between “some tiny cracks in the ice” to “being free”, in the way it was illustrated.

Overall, I want to avoid stories about animals staying in the middle of an iced lake while trying to break the ice. It is not a story I would want to read to kids, even if it involves friendship.

Thank you NetGalley and Clavis Publishing for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-11-02