Little One Step

by Simon James

Chinese edition of Little One Step. Traditional characters with Zhuyin Fuhao.

The inimitable Simon James tells the heartening story of a duckling who makes a very useful discovery — and encourages the most tentative of us to take that first step, no matter how small.

What do you do when you’re little and lost and your legs feel all wobbly? For one tiny duckling, the trick is doing "One Step," a surprising technique that enables him to walk under the tallest of trees and across the widest of fields. Using simple language and breezy, expressive illustrations, Simon James speaks directly to the heart of a child and shows that every journey, whatever the length, begins with a single step.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Family, Storytime, Adventure

Hardcover

First published March 1, 2003

About the author

Simon James is the award-winning author-illustrator of many children’s books, including such favorites as DEAR GREENPEACE, LEON AND BOB, and the Baby Brains series. His stories often concern a child’s relationship with the natural world. Simon James lives in England.

Reviews

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable!

[Katie Bruff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about ducklings that are lost. and want their mama. The oldest brother has to help the youngest duckling out because his legs felt wobbly and he was getting tired. He taught him the "one step" which means put one foot infront of the other and walk slowly. That's how he got his name "Little one step." They finally found their mama. He was so excited when they saw her after a long day looking. He told her his new name and finally got into the water.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked that this was monochromatic. The story was positive and uplifting. It was a good fit for preschool- a goldilocks book as far as length. I was hoping for a rare word to pop in, but that fell flat. While it has a good flow, there aren't the rhymes I was looking for either. Illustrations were adequate, but not super detailed. Script was all over the place.
Not a bad book, but not a high quality piece I couldn't live without.

[Lauren]

I think this book is perfect for younger children. It can help teach kids how to walk and shows brothers bonding together to accomplish a task. I also see a hidden meaning behind it; just because you are little does not mean you can not do something. You have to put your mind to it. Also that you should never give up. Keep trying and pushing yourself. As for the illustration, I wish they were a little more lifelike with more colors.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

This tender tale stars a littlest duckling who can barely walk, yet somehow Little One Step discovers a timid workaround for walking.

If you like books about vulnerable little people who depend so much on others, demanding constant reassurance and encouragement? Then you're going to just L*O*O*O*O*OV*E this story.

And clearly you're among the intended audience for this book. On your behalf -- definitely not mine -- I'll rate this book a full FIVE STARS.

[Brian Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wisdom for all ages, ... one step, one breath at a time. Again, I've been reminded that to live childlike, not childish, is far easier and simpler than we adults have been trained to live. This read led me to smiles and laughter, cheering the heart with its beauty and wisdom. A good meditation on mindfulness, too - possibly better, heartfulness.

[Merideth Devries · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has the sweetest relation to childhood, adn allows a window for students to see into. It is a very encouraging and uplifting book that journeys through this ducklings life, and encourages that every big change starts with one small little step

[Henna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little One Step is a great book showing how the siblings helped their littke duckling to take 'little' steps to get to their mum

[Jennifer B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute with a good lesson.

[رُفيدة · Rating 3 out of 5]

so cute

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

The walk home seems insurmountable until Little One Step takes the journey one step at a time, finally making his way back to mama. Understated sweet illustrations.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a heartwarming tale of perseverance, one step at a time. The watercolor and ink illustrations are muted and very sweet.

[Lucy Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute picture book about learning not to be overwhelmed by the big picture and to focus on just taking one step at a time.

[STEPHANIE D · Rating 4 out of 5]

A duckling that lost their m
ommy

[Tori Serrano]

The story Little One Step is about a little duckling traveling through the woods with its two older brothers. The littlest duckling was having trouble keeping up with its two older brothers. The little duckling also just wanted to see its mother, who was at the end of the forest and through the meadow. The oldest duckling encouraged the youngest to keep doing “one step.” So the ducklings practiced moving one step together, then the littlest duckling did it on its own. Throughout the rest of the ducklings journey to their mother, the littlest ducking kept saying, “one step.” At the end of the story the ducklings made it to their mother and they all went to the pond.
The text of the story was very simple and easy to read. It would be a great book to read to a younger group because it teaches a lesson on encouragement. The oldest duckling encouraged the youngest one to keep on moving to make it to their mother. When the duckling would begin to get tired again the oldest duckling would encourage the youngest to keep moving “one step.” This helped the duckling make it to its mother and lead them to the pond.
The illustrations of the book were simple drawings with a lot of short lines that created different scenes. Some of the short lines resembled grass and some that were brought to a point are put in to clusters that made plants. The lines for the ducks were all connected and made the simple shape of a duck. The colors of the ducks and the scenes were all shades of tan, orange, and light yellow. The textures are all soft and the shapes of the animals resemble comfort, especially for the older ducklings.

[Sarah Herranen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little One Step is a creative book about a little duckling who is having a hard time walking home. The two older brothers do everything in their power to help their little brother home. So they device a game that the youngest can play in order to get home and not feel so weak, tired, and wobbly. Every time he lifts is leg into the air he says "one" and every time he puts his leg down, he says "step." They decide to name their youngest brother "Little One Step." Little One Step and his brothers make it home, encouraging him along the way. Finally he reaches his mamma and expresses his joy of getting home and his new name. Honestly I believe that this book may have a hidden meaning behind it. Maybe the author created this book for someone who was having a hard time in life and needed the encouragement of their brothers, family, or friends; and maybe their greatest lesson was to take life one step at a time. The illustrations were simple, yet adorable. The color scheme was all different shades of yellow. I would use this in my classroom to teach a life lesson and of course a encouraging read for a young audience.

[Tyley Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simon James writes a story about how life can be hard at times, but you can make it through anything one step at a time. This adorable tale is about three little ducklings making their way home to see their mother. The youngest duckling gets tired along the way and feels like he can go any further, but his two older brothers push him forward by telling him to say “one step” each time he takes a step. The little duckling tries this and before he knows it, he is back home. I absolutely love the message behind this story and the text is appealing. I wish that the illustrations were more colorful instead of just consisting of shades of yellow. However, I would still include this in my classroom library and do a read aloud with this book to younger children because of its message. I think that children would find interest and connect to the story about the three ducklings. I could also do a short writing activity where I have the students write about an experience where they felt like they could not go any further but a family member or a friend helped them keep going.

[Caitlin W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little One Step is an endearing story about perseverance and not giving up. It's the tale of three brother ducklings who get lost far from their mother and have to make their way back to her. The littlest duckling is very tired, and doesn't think he can make it, until his older brother teaches him a trick: Lift your foot up and say "One," and say "Step" as you put it down. Just by taking things one step at a time, you can accomplish even the most daunting task. Since the littlest duckling was so good at it, his brother decided that his new name should be Little One Step. The drawings, sometimes a handful of separate pictures on each page, are adorable in a minimalistic way, and the palate of yellows, oranges, and brown in watercolor with black pen make for visually appealing illustrations. Recommended for grades K-2.

[Ally Copper · Rating 3 out of 5]

For children pre-K through first grade, "Little One Step" by Simon James has a great message about how any journey, no matter how long, is made up of one step, followed by another step, followed by another step, and so on. As the three duckling brothers travel from the forest back to their mother, the littlest duck doesn't feel he can make it. The oldest brother teaches him the "One Step" to help make the trip more bearable. Eventually they make it to their destination and the littlest duckling has energy to spare. The watercolor and ink illustrations in extremely muted yellows and oranges are, in a word, bland. The small duckling characters are barely distinguishable from the background forest because everything is the same color and tone. While the illustrations are unimpressive and doubtful to catch children's attention, the story itself is meaningful and engaging.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so true! When my son was a toddler, he'd run around the house like an idiot, or run through the library pulling books off of the shelves if I set him down for a SECOND. But did he walk on his own when I wanted him to? -- No way! And so, Little One Step finds he can walk no farther.

I could have sworn that the author is French, because he style is so clean, simple, and yet elegant, but when I looked on the back cover, he appears to be as American as I am. So, there is hope for me yet in the elegance department.

Anyway, Little One Step is a sweet, encouraging book for anyone, especially anyone who needs a little encouragement.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little One Step by Simon James is a story about how problems occur in life and how to deal with the obstacles. Three duck siblings are trying to get home to their mother but the littlest duck keeps getting tired and doesn't know if he can make it home. The two brothers help their littlest sibling overcome the situation by teaching him to take one step at a time and keep going. The littlest duck takes his brothers advice and puts one foot in front of the next until he makes it home to his mother. This is a great text-to-self children's story book because it is about teamwork, siblings, and helping each other solve problems.

[Britley Madsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Little One Step" is about a little duckling who is afraid to walk in an unfamiliar place. Him and his brothers are lost and need to find their mother. The brothers encourage "Little One Step" to take one step at a time and to not give up. The pictures in this book are all yellow with black outlining each part of the pictures. The texts are either at the bottom of the page or by the picture it is describing. The white space behind the texts helps the reader focus on the story and the picture. I would read this book to a child who is learning how to do a new task and is too afraid to try it. A child who is getting better at reading would be able to read this book.

[Amy Seto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three little birds get lost one day and have to find their way through the forest, across the meadow, and back home to Mama. The oldest and middle ducklings aren’t worried at all, but the littlest duckling doesn’t think he can do it! His legs are all wobbly and he wants his Mama! Luckily, his older siblings teach him how to do the One Step all the way home. The watercolor and ink illustrations compliment this sweet story that features a supportive and caring sibling relationship.

Read More at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2...

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I am a big Simon James fan, unfortunately this is a sweet story of lost ducklings - but lost ducklings finding their mamas has been done to death (and with a lot more oomph in other picture books). The choice of only using beige and tans for the art does not do much to enhance this story especially if you are looking at it as a potential group reading book - but even as a one to one, it's just the same every page which I think children will find somewhat boring.

[Kristy Schwertfeger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet book. It is a about a family of ducks trying to walk home. The walk is very far and everyone is tried especially the little one. So brother duck says the secret is just do one step. Say one step each step. Little one does this all the way home and forgets how long the walk is. I love how Little one's brother is there to help encourage her and make her forget about the walk. Very cute good read aloud.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple story good for sparking discussion about perseverance, this takes the idea of "one step at a time" and makes it very concrete for youngsters. A little duck needs to keep walking but complains his legs are getting tired. His siblings recommend the "one step" to get him there. Light orange-y watercolors with thin black outline support the text, however the range of expressions on the faces of the ducks is limited.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three siblings are trudging home. The youngest tires. The older siblings lend encouragement. Just take one more step. They make a game of it. Every time the youngest wants to give up, encouragement comes again. And that's how the littlest gets the name "Little One Step".

I absolutely love this story. Of course I own my own copy! Sometimes we each need a little urging to just take another step.

[Tatiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simon James' illustrations in Little One Step are precious and soft, reminding me in color and framing of the Winnie the Pooh books. The story, too, is worthwhile: sometimes we need to take things that seem hard or that overwhelms us one step at a time. Then they aren't are difficult, and many they even become easy!

My only complaint is that this was a hard book to read aloud. There are so many configurations of one, little, and step that my tongue got all tied up!

[Kelly Holmes · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story was just okay for me. The main character's brother had to keep telling him how to solve his problem--I would have liked to see the main character come up with a way to solve his own problem. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, although the monochromatic palette didn't seem to engage my 7-month-old daughter.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Patrick Allen recommended this book at a workshop as a picture book that may work well for discussing "gradual release." This book has a good message about endurance and about guided help that moves toward independence. It could may a useful read aloud for opening learning conversations in a readers workshop in September/October.