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Nature Storybooks
Just Ducks!
A young girl shares her observations about the mallards near her house in an engaging, informative story sure to make a splash with duck lovers.
Quack quack, Quack-quaack-quack.
It's the first sound I hear every morning.
The young girl in this story may live in the city, but outside her window there's a river full of mallard ducks! She hears them as soon as she wakes up, and on the way to school she sees them upside down bobbing for food. Interspersed with fun facts, her enthusiastic commentary about her feathered neighbors - what they look like, how they behave, where they nest, where they sleep - pairs swimmingly with cheerful watercolor illustrations.
Quack quack, Quack-quaack-quack.
It's the first sound I hear every morning.
The young girl in this story may live in the city, but outside her window there's a river full of mallard ducks! She hears them as soon as she wakes up, and on the way to school she sees them upside down bobbing for food. Interspersed with fun facts, her enthusiastic commentary about her feathered neighbors - what they look like, how they behave, where they nest, where they sleep - pairs swimmingly with cheerful watercolor illustrations.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
290 people want to read
About the author
Nicola Davies
167 books183 followers"I was very small when I saw my first dolphin," says zoologist Nicola Davies, recalling a seminal visit with her father to a dolphin show at the zoo. Enchanted at the sight of what she called the "big fish" jumping so high and swimming so fast, she determined right then that she would meet the amazing creatures again "in the wild, where they belonged." And indeed she did--as part of a pair of scientific expeditions, one to Newfoundland at the age of eighteen and another to the Indian Ocean a year later. In WILD ABOUT DOLPHINS, Nicola Davies describes her voyages in a firsthand account filled with fascinating facts and captivating photographs of seven species of dolphins in action.
Nicola Davies's seemingly boundless enthusiasm for studying animals of all kinds has led her around the world--and fortunately for young readers, she is just as excited about sharing her interests through picture books. The zoologist's latest offering puts a decidedly quirky twist on her years of experience: POOP: A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE UNMENTIONABLE is a fun, fact-filled guide to the fascinating world of poop across species. "As a zoologist, you are never far from poop!" the writer explains. "I've baked goose poop in an oven with my dinner, looked at bat poop under the microscope, and had my T-shirt stained pink with blue-whale poop. I was obviously fated to write this book."
The exceptional combination of Nicola Davies's zoological expertise and her first-rate children's writing is apparent in her remarkable catalog of award-winning titles. Her first book with Candlewick Press, BIG BLUE WHALE, was hailed by American Bookseller as an "artfully composed study" offering "language exactly appropriate for four- to seven-year-olds and precisely the right amount of information." In ONE TINY TURTLE, Nicola Davies's clear, compelling narrative follows the life of the rarely seen loggerhead turtle, which swims the oceans for thirty years and for thousands of miles in search of food, only to return, uncannily, to lay her eggs on the very beach where she was born. The author's next book, BAT LOVES THE NIGHT, is a tenderly written ode to a much-misunderstood flying mammal, the pipistrelle bat, while SURPRISING SHARKS--winner of a BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Honor Award--contains unexpected facts about another one of the planet's most infamous animals.
When she is not off on scientific expeditions, Nicola Davies lives in a cottage in Somerset, England, where she is lucky enough to have pipistrelle bats nesting in her roof.
Nicola Davies's seemingly boundless enthusiasm for studying animals of all kinds has led her around the world--and fortunately for young readers, she is just as excited about sharing her interests through picture books. The zoologist's latest offering puts a decidedly quirky twist on her years of experience: POOP: A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE UNMENTIONABLE is a fun, fact-filled guide to the fascinating world of poop across species. "As a zoologist, you are never far from poop!" the writer explains. "I've baked goose poop in an oven with my dinner, looked at bat poop under the microscope, and had my T-shirt stained pink with blue-whale poop. I was obviously fated to write this book."
The exceptional combination of Nicola Davies's zoological expertise and her first-rate children's writing is apparent in her remarkable catalog of award-winning titles. Her first book with Candlewick Press, BIG BLUE WHALE, was hailed by American Bookseller as an "artfully composed study" offering "language exactly appropriate for four- to seven-year-olds and precisely the right amount of information." In ONE TINY TURTLE, Nicola Davies's clear, compelling narrative follows the life of the rarely seen loggerhead turtle, which swims the oceans for thirty years and for thousands of miles in search of food, only to return, uncannily, to lay her eggs on the very beach where she was born. The author's next book, BAT LOVES THE NIGHT, is a tenderly written ode to a much-misunderstood flying mammal, the pipistrelle bat, while SURPRISING SHARKS--winner of a BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Honor Award--contains unexpected facts about another one of the planet's most infamous animals.
When she is not off on scientific expeditions, Nicola Davies lives in a cottage in Somerset, England, where she is lucky enough to have pipistrelle bats nesting in her roof.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews
March 25, 2018
In this short piece all about ducks, the narrator tells of how she encounters mallards all throughout the day, from the first time the curtains open through to the final time the moon shines down on them. Ducks are quite the creature, with their odd habits of nesting and feeding, as well as mating and protecting themselves from predators. Mixing a story with some information, the young reader is able to discover the world of ducks, hopefully able to spot a few when they are out and about in the summer. Neo loves ducks and hopes to see some as soon as the snow disappears. I let him know Mother Nature has been a little tricky, but the ducks should be here sooner than later.
June 24, 2024
Story 3
Illustration 4
Illustration 4
September 10, 2025
They managed to make ducks boring. Ooh, also - condones feeding BREAD to ducks. That's a major no-no (rolled oat flakes, finely chopped veg, wilted lettuce scraps a better choice!). Bread swells in their stomachs...
August 26, 2013
I quite liked this book and the way it weaves in facts about ducks within a loose storyline (there's no actual plot to the story, just a girl MC narrating...I'm totally fine with that, but I found that some people don't like that).
My only quibble is that it is actually not good for the ducks (or people, ultimately) to feed them bread. It's devoid of the nutrition ducks need but yet keeps them alive so that nature can't take its course. For reasons on why feeding ducks in urban area is not a good thing, check out the article in birds.about.com - http://birding.about.com/od/birdfeede...
My only quibble is that it is actually not good for the ducks (or people, ultimately) to feed them bread. It's devoid of the nutrition ducks need but yet keeps them alive so that nature can't take its course. For reasons on why feeding ducks in urban area is not a good thing, check out the article in birds.about.com - http://birding.about.com/od/birdfeede...
April 24, 2012
A young girl hears ducks quacking in the morning. Through her perspective, readers learn more about the ducks.
This could be a neat non-fiction picture book, but in this case, the story kind of suffers for the want of including non-fiction asides on each page. This is solved--somehow--with an index in the back of the book which might serve as a nice introduction to referencing an index.
The illustrations are very nice which would make this a gentle read-aloud for bedtime.
This could be a neat non-fiction picture book, but in this case, the story kind of suffers for the want of including non-fiction asides on each page. This is solved--somehow--with an index in the back of the book which might serve as a nice introduction to referencing an index.
The illustrations are very nice which would make this a gentle read-aloud for bedtime.
September 21, 2013
I liked how this book was a children's story, but it also provided an opportunity for them to learn something about creatures that they will see a lot of the time. The little definitions at the bottom of each page will really help children to understand what they are reading. There is also an index at the back of the book where they can look up each work if they need to. The illustrator chose to paint in watercolor which I think was completely perfect. Great book!
March 17, 2018
Everything ducks. Lovely illustrations.
May 7, 2021
Just Ducks is an interesting book about ducks. It starts by a young girl seeing some ducks on her way to school and then we get to learn all about them throughout the book.
We didn't really enjoy this book at all and I found the book didn't really know what it was trying to be. Is it a story? Is it just all facts? Whichever it is, we didn't like it! The book seems to read like a story with small facts dotted around the page which is a great idea for a book and to help children learn but the part of the book which was more story-like was a very boring read. Some of the words were too difficult for the children to understand which might be part of the problem but I understood them and was still not enjoying the book. I think if it was more of a story when sharing facts it could have been much better.
The illustrations are lovely but they are all very similar as the book is about just ducks. If there was more of a story I think the children would have been interested in the pictures and story but because they weren't interested in the story they weren't particularly interested in the illustrations either after the first few pages.
We didn't like this book and found it a long and boring read but maybe for older children or children with an interest in ducks it might be better suited to them. A lovely way to help children learn but not for us.
We didn't really enjoy this book at all and I found the book didn't really know what it was trying to be. Is it a story? Is it just all facts? Whichever it is, we didn't like it! The book seems to read like a story with small facts dotted around the page which is a great idea for a book and to help children learn but the part of the book which was more story-like was a very boring read. Some of the words were too difficult for the children to understand which might be part of the problem but I understood them and was still not enjoying the book. I think if it was more of a story when sharing facts it could have been much better.
The illustrations are lovely but they are all very similar as the book is about just ducks. If there was more of a story I think the children would have been interested in the pictures and story but because they weren't interested in the story they weren't particularly interested in the illustrations either after the first few pages.
We didn't like this book and found it a long and boring read but maybe for older children or children with an interest in ducks it might be better suited to them. A lovely way to help children learn but not for us.
January 2, 2018
This is a quite lovely little book about ducks, just ducks!
There is a pond outside the window of the little girl's house. Watching ducking, and discussing with her family about the ducks has become part of her life. Through this narrative this book talked a lot about the science facts of ducks.
I always enjoy children's book about science which has been constructed in a story structure, especially those book that has a temperature. The last generation of the science book was mainly based on plain facts, and failed to find a perspective that is easily accessible by children. This book did well on this end. The index at the end of the book is quite helpful, and I am surprised to see how many different aspects of duck's life that this little book covered.
The illustrations in the book are simple, expressive with very subtle textures.
Would recommend this book for the little nature lovers.
There is a pond outside the window of the little girl's house. Watching ducking, and discussing with her family about the ducks has become part of her life. Through this narrative this book talked a lot about the science facts of ducks.
I always enjoy children's book about science which has been constructed in a story structure, especially those book that has a temperature. The last generation of the science book was mainly based on plain facts, and failed to find a perspective that is easily accessible by children. This book did well on this end. The index at the end of the book is quite helpful, and I am surprised to see how many different aspects of duck's life that this little book covered.
The illustrations in the book are simple, expressive with very subtle textures.
Would recommend this book for the little nature lovers.
March 28, 2019
A little girl wakes up to quacking ducks. She is the story narrator. We follow her day's activities and the mallard ducks she closely observes. Nicola Davies gently and succinctly weaves facts about the mallard duck's daily life into the child's day. The enchanting water color illustrations couple beautifully with the story and provide plenty of white space for interesting facts. I highly recommend this hybrid picture and non-fiction book for families who love to learn about nature. It is perfect for the primary classroom natural science collection. Children will learn what makes mallards special and about the important needs we share with them- eating, play, family care, and sleeping. Helping children see what we have in common with animals and plants deepens their understanding and appreciation for nature. The index at the end cements the non-fiction side of the book.
August 30, 2021
I feel so sad for city kids who can only find scraps of nature like mallards... even sadder for those who know only pigeons and roaches. I hope this book reaches some of them, and inspires them to look harder.
I appreciate how it talked, briefly and non-accusatory, about feeding ducks. Mainly the idea presented is: only feed a little stale bread when it's so cold that the ducks/ geese/ swans would be less likely to survive with out it.
I, personally, really did not like the illustrations, or the tight focus, or being reminded that humans are causing a mass extinction and that maybe mallards will be the only kind of ducks there are when your littles are my age.
I appreciate how it talked, briefly and non-accusatory, about feeding ducks. Mainly the idea presented is: only feed a little stale bread when it's so cold that the ducks/ geese/ swans would be less likely to survive with out it.
I, personally, really did not like the illustrations, or the tight focus, or being reminded that humans are causing a mass extinction and that maybe mallards will be the only kind of ducks there are when your littles are my age.
October 16, 2017
I picked this story because I love ducks and had one as a pet when I was younger. There is a young girl that can see a river full of ducks out of her window. She passes them as she goes to school and she can hear them when she wakes up in the mornings. The book is informative and interesting. It tells you a lot about ducks, how to tell the difference between a girl and boy, why some of their quacks are different, and how they find food. Also, the illustrations are very good. This is overall a good book and can be used to inform and also be used for fun.
January 19, 2023
Just Ducks!Just Ducks!Nicola Davies
I really like this book, I like how there's facts in the book along with a story.
I really like this book, I like how there's facts in the book along with a story.
February 26, 2019
This book is set for older children as well as younger children. However, when reading to my two-year-old, she was not very interested. On each page, there are definitions and terms under words that are unfamiliar such as the difference between a duck and a mallard. The text was choppy and hard to read. The ink looked like it was running out while printing. However, the design of the book is very cool. The inside page portrays an image of water and the reflection of the buildings and trees.
October 4, 2025
I actually enjoyed the illustrations in mixed media more the text of this story about mallards. This title while a fictional story for preschoolers has those small text squares of nonfiction text. Since I know read these types of picture books doing the story first and then go back and read the information on the second read through. The one thing I did learn from the “fact” read, that the male duck quakes quieter than the female.
November 6, 2018
Just Ducks is an uplifting and liberating little jaunt through nature reminiscent of Christopher Derricks adult work Escape From Skepticism. There are enough similarities in the two that I find it hard to believe that the zoologist that wrote this book wasn't profoundly influenced by a rather non-hard science view of life as having a more of a Thomistic nature.
September 4, 2019
This should have been a higher score, but on the topic of feeding the author put that even thought ducks can't live on bread it can help them stay full. Bread is very bad for ducks:
https://www.thespruce.com/is-feeding-...
There seems to have been research, and then a willful choice to stick with tradition in a book that appears to be educating. Completely irresponsible.
https://www.thespruce.com/is-feeding-...
There seems to have been research, and then a willful choice to stick with tradition in a book that appears to be educating. Completely irresponsible.
March 3, 2020
Cute book about ducks. It’s a story that a little girl tells about the ducks that live outside her window. At the same time it’s also an informational book that includes facts and information that you may not know about them. Great book to learn about ducks but also tells a fun story. Pictures are beautifully drawn and you can follow the little girl through the day with the ducks.
June 7, 2017
This book was gorgeous and informative. We picked it up because Libby developed a fondness for our pond's ducks and kept asking questions about them that were beyond my threshold of "duck knowledge."
July 17, 2017
Solid intro to non-fiction for the younger crowd. I am currently reading to 2-year-old twins so we skipped the smaller print sections (of additional scientific info) and they really enjoyed the story.
October 14, 2018
I didn't like this one as much as the other books I have read so far, I thought it was a little bit boring and I don't think younger children would be very interested in it. I did however like that it gave little facts about ducks on each page.
November 30, 2018
A simple story, with added non-fiction information. A fun way to learn some facts. The set up of the book like a fiction book makes it more appealing to a youger reader. They are learning without know it! Books are amazing that way!
February 8, 2021
Davies' story, narrated in the voice of the little girl, is blended with plenty of bitesize, easy-to-read facts, allowing young readers to learn about everything from what ducks eat to why they quack and where they sleep.
April 12, 2022
I liked this book and how it gives children who read it an opportunity to learn. The girl in the story is interested in learning about the ducks and the story goes on and has little facts about ducks.
April 14, 2022
This was a cute book. It had great illustration and was very entreating. I really liked how on the bottom of the page it would have the definitions of the words. It would be great for younger students.
April 21, 2022
Very informative book on ducks. Can see kids being really interested in this because of the humor the goes along with the educational portion of it. Loved the little facts about ducks hidden on the pages.
April 27, 2023
This is a very fun book, with good illustrations. I think this is a perfect book to introduce ducks to a younger elementary classroom, and would also be a great read aloud with fun interactive sayings.
June 5, 2017
I love ducks, and I LOVED ducks as a child, but I would not have loved this book.
August 7, 2017
It's not often I learn new things about any animal, but this book taught me new things about ducks
November 27, 2017
I really liked this book. Was a fun non-fiction book that conveyed the information as a story. The illustrations were really beautiful. Very nice introductions to non-fiction books
Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews