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Raffi Songs to Read
Five Little Ducks
This board book featuring a counting song by Raffi makes the perfect "addition" to your springtime reading list!
Babies and toddlers willl love counting down as first five little ducks, then four, then three, then two, then one go out to play, not to return. Mother Duck waits until spring returns and with it her five ducks, all grown up-along with their new families of baby ducks. With sweet illustrations by veteran children's book artists Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey, this lovely counting song will invoke squeals of delight.
Babies and toddlers willl love counting down as first five little ducks, then four, then three, then two, then one go out to play, not to return. Mother Duck waits until spring returns and with it her five ducks, all grown up-along with their new families of baby ducks. With sweet illustrations by veteran children's book artists Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey, this lovely counting song will invoke squeals of delight.
32 pages, Board Book
First published January 1, 1988
5 people are currently reading
324 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
July 5, 2018
A wonderful and fun way for children to learn. We have had a lot of fun over the years with this book. Recommended.
July 6, 2023
My 10 month old loves this book so much we have read it twice already! Maybe because she heard the song on her bath time playlist, it’s cool to put visuals to the song now
April 4, 2013
Great photos accompany the ever-popular children's song Five Little Ducks. Children may like to predict what they think will happen next, and they may enjoy counting the ducks on the pages. Reinforces quantity for the youngest students.
March 5, 2019
1. No Awards
2. Pre K-K
3. Five Little Ducks is a book that goes along with the classic nursery rhyme. The book follows the life of a mother duck with her 5 ducklings as they each, one by one, leave the mother duck to go star their own lives. Mother duck is sad that all of her ducklings have all left but is reunited with them come the end of the story when, her once small ducks, all return each having duckings of their own.
4. This story is great for Pre-K/ K aged children because it does not use too many difficult words and follows the classic nursery rhyme that most kids are able to recite. By having a book like this kids, who maybe aren't ready to read on their own, can use the song which they already know along with the print in the book to put the words they are saying with print on paper.
5. Five Little Ducks in the most obvious way can be used in many different math activities. Working on subtraction and addition as each one leaves the mother duck and when they all unite at the end. It can also be used as a pre lesson followed by a field trip to a local pond where children can learn some science through looking at the ducks in their natural habitat.
2. Pre K-K
3. Five Little Ducks is a book that goes along with the classic nursery rhyme. The book follows the life of a mother duck with her 5 ducklings as they each, one by one, leave the mother duck to go star their own lives. Mother duck is sad that all of her ducklings have all left but is reunited with them come the end of the story when, her once small ducks, all return each having duckings of their own.
4. This story is great for Pre-K/ K aged children because it does not use too many difficult words and follows the classic nursery rhyme that most kids are able to recite. By having a book like this kids, who maybe aren't ready to read on their own, can use the song which they already know along with the print in the book to put the words they are saying with print on paper.
5. Five Little Ducks in the most obvious way can be used in many different math activities. Working on subtraction and addition as each one leaves the mother duck and when they all unite at the end. It can also be used as a pre lesson followed by a field trip to a local pond where children can learn some science through looking at the ducks in their natural habitat.
October 23, 2020
Genre: Picture Books - board
Awards: None
Source: Public Library recommendation
Intended Audience: 2-4 years
Question responses:
• This book fits the category because its pages are thick, difficult to bend and meant for little, rough handling hands.
• The colors are bright and playful, drawing the readers eye. The ducks are brightly colored in an assortment that pops out from the background, making them the focus of the image and hard to miss. All of the colors chosen can represent happy colors. (yellow, pink, red). The book is double paged so that the images takes up both sides of the book when open. In the story the momma duck is leading her babies to the left and when it’s time to go home she goes all the way right when she calls her babies back.
• In the classroom this can be used along with the previously mentioned book above to help build the foundation of counting in young children. Instead of counting up, this one teaches them how to count down. It can also be used as a good introduction to subtraction as well.
Awards: None
Source: Public Library recommendation
Intended Audience: 2-4 years
Question responses:
• This book fits the category because its pages are thick, difficult to bend and meant for little, rough handling hands.
• The colors are bright and playful, drawing the readers eye. The ducks are brightly colored in an assortment that pops out from the background, making them the focus of the image and hard to miss. All of the colors chosen can represent happy colors. (yellow, pink, red). The book is double paged so that the images takes up both sides of the book when open. In the story the momma duck is leading her babies to the left and when it’s time to go home she goes all the way right when she calls her babies back.
• In the classroom this can be used along with the previously mentioned book above to help build the foundation of counting in young children. Instead of counting up, this one teaches them how to count down. It can also be used as a good introduction to subtraction as well.
July 22, 2018
Raffi is pure nostalgia and his songs have endured. Some of his hits have been made into picture books as part of the Raffi Songs to Read series. I'd definitely recommend giving your kids the treat of listening to a Raffi album and then reading these books.
This is another traditional song that my son Luke has become familiar with through the modern miracle of YouTube Kids. Because of that it was a cinch to get him interested in this book.
Denise Fleming's "5 Little Ducks" is another one I like and have reviewed before, and it incorporates days of the week. My son Harry loves it. But the Raffi/Aruego/Dewey version is uncomplicated and my son Luke greatly prefers it's adherence to the original song's lyrics and simpler illustrations.
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I review books for children from the perspective of a parent of kids with autism. The review above is part of a longer post on books about singalong books: https://www.lineupthebooks.com/40-sin...
This is another traditional song that my son Luke has become familiar with through the modern miracle of YouTube Kids. Because of that it was a cinch to get him interested in this book.
Denise Fleming's "5 Little Ducks" is another one I like and have reviewed before, and it incorporates days of the week. My son Harry loves it. But the Raffi/Aruego/Dewey version is uncomplicated and my son Luke greatly prefers it's adherence to the original song's lyrics and simpler illustrations.
---
I review books for children from the perspective of a parent of kids with autism. The review above is part of a longer post on books about singalong books: https://www.lineupthebooks.com/40-sin...
June 4, 2020
Review originally published on my blog,
Nine Pages
.
I grew up on Raffi. I never knew that Raffi had a last name, that Raffi wasn’t his last name, and that seems silly now. I never knew that Raffi was born in Egypt to Armenian parents before immigrating to Canada. I never knew he was Canadian.
I was impressed by the distressed emotion that the Aruego and Dewey were able to impart to the mother duck in their illustrations. The illustration of Mother Duck searching for her ducklings sans text as the seasons pass her was touching. I can’t possibly rate this text. This was a song for which I didn’t even have to look up the tune before the story time. I can rate the illustrations. And I rate them
I grew up on Raffi. I never knew that Raffi had a last name, that Raffi wasn’t his last name, and that seems silly now. I never knew that Raffi was born in Egypt to Armenian parents before immigrating to Canada. I never knew he was Canadian.
I was impressed by the distressed emotion that the Aruego and Dewey were able to impart to the mother duck in their illustrations. The illustration of Mother Duck searching for her ducklings sans text as the seasons pass her was touching. I can’t possibly rate this text. This was a song for which I didn’t even have to look up the tune before the story time. I can rate the illustrations. And I rate them
September 12, 2022
This book is a classic. I remember it being read to me when I was little and I immediately wanted to review this book for my counting book. I love the illustrations in this book. I love how all of the little ducks are different colors, so the students are more likely to recognize that a duck is missing. I also like how the book has a very rhythmic tone to it, and it almost sounds like it could be a nursery rhyme. This book is older, so the illustrations are different than what we see in more recent books, but the style still works for the story and will never get outdated.
This is a good book for a kindergarten class. You could even make it interactive and test their attention by asking what color duck didn't come back. That is a good way of getting them to participate in active listening and watching while also learning more about numbers.
This is a good book for a kindergarten class. You could even make it interactive and test their attention by asking what color duck didn't come back. That is a good way of getting them to participate in active listening and watching while also learning more about numbers.
May 4, 2019
This is a popular song and has many version in book format -- but I think I like this version the best of the ones I have read. The reason being, that one by one the little ducklings disappear, where did they go?? And at the end of the book the ducklings come back like nothing happened and life goes on. In this version, at the end each duckling comes back but they are grown-ups with families of their own.
I can hear Raffi's voice in my head singing the song as I read the words. If you haven't seen Raffi perform, try his concert on DVD.
Also try other Raffi SONG TO READ titles including my favorite SHAKE MY SILLIES OUT
I can hear Raffi's voice in my head singing the song as I read the words. If you haven't seen Raffi perform, try his concert on DVD.
Also try other Raffi SONG TO READ titles including my favorite SHAKE MY SILLIES OUT
December 2, 2024
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Five little ducks went out one day. Over the hills and far away. Where do they go? Do they come back? Sing along and find out with this picture book!
Highlights: Simple illustrations makes it easy to keep pace of singing since there aren't too many distractions. Includes images for seasonal changes.
Lowlights: I, personally, would have preferred realistic coloring for the ducks but the different colors allows you to teach your little one colors in addition to counting. Might be a little sad (temporarily) during storytelling.
Five little ducks went out one day. Over the hills and far away. Where do they go? Do they come back? Sing along and find out with this picture book!
Highlights: Simple illustrations makes it easy to keep pace of singing since there aren't too many distractions. Includes images for seasonal changes.
Lowlights: I, personally, would have preferred realistic coloring for the ducks but the different colors allows you to teach your little one colors in addition to counting. Might be a little sad (temporarily) during storytelling.
November 12, 2020
This poor mother, who boldly takes on the world despite (all evidence suggests) her children being picked off, one by one, through predation. I really feel for her. She has "quack quack quacked" her way into my heart, and she earned her reunion special.
Seriously, though, couldn't her children have called? At least said "yo, I'm off to chase some tail, maw"? Seems rather ungrateful of them.
Seriously, though, couldn't her children have called? At least said "yo, I'm off to chase some tail, maw"? Seems rather ungrateful of them.
June 2, 2022
This book reminds me a lot of the story “Five Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed” as they both start with five animals, this story being ducklings, and both end with no animals. This is a great text to compare and contrast stories that are similar but trying to find the difference between the two as well. There is also a sheet music provided in the back with the tune of the book, as it is from the children’s artist Raffi.
October 4, 2018
My 6 year old son read this to me as I drove us to the library. Needless to say my heart was melting and I was close to tears (my little boy, reading to me!).
The story is adorable and melodic (no surprise since it’s a Raffi book) and we definitely recommend it.
The story is adorable and melodic (no surprise since it’s a Raffi book) and we definitely recommend it.
May 21, 2020
The classic song has been turned into a board book. Five ducks go out with their mother, and leave one by one. Will they return?
I love the colorful ducks in the illustrations that fit with the fun and nostalgia of the song/story.
I love the colorful ducks in the illustrations that fit with the fun and nostalgia of the song/story.
December 23, 2024
Simple illustrations, but the mama duck’s worried face is on point! For months now Au has loved reading/singing this book and she’s still into it at 18 months. She loves motioning for our Echo to play the song by Raffi every time she chooses the book off the shelf.
July 20, 2025
This one seems like a bit of an odd choice from Raffi‘s vast songbook to choose… I mean, of course it was a favorite of mine, but most pages are pretty similar text. But maybe younger babies would be more into it.
May 30, 2017
Just like the song, I found myself singing the story instead of reading it. My son loved the pictures of the ducks.
November 21, 2017
I sang this book during my toddler storytime. It was a fun addition to be able to sing it as opposed to just reading it.
February 11, 2018
songs are a fun way for kids to learn to read. but the ducks get lost and come home with babies.
September 25, 2018
Initially pretty sad as the ducks do not come back, one-by-one. However, they all come back in the end!
December 3, 2018
Counting and days of the week. Also, you could sing this book or do it as a flannelboard.
September 3, 2020
This book is one of my favorites, i just simply like the way it was written overall.
January 20, 2021
A delightful interactive board book that will keep your young one entertained. I can't wait to give a copy to my granddaughter!
Read
March 24, 2021Shelved w/Ponds and Rivers
September 10, 2022
What a jam!
December 30, 2022
One of my daughter’s favorites!
April 20, 2024
Where did the ducks go?
August 5, 2024
A great one for spring, toddlers can learn colors & counting 1-5. Make sure you sing along though!
September 17, 2024
This is an absolute family favorite!
January 12, 2025
My granddaughter is 6 months old and she loves story time. She will sit quietly in my lap and listen to me read the stories. She has to be able to see the pictures.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews