Me First!

by Michaël Escoffier, Kris di Giacomo (Illustrations)

In the duck family, there are four siblings, one of whom always wants to be first—up until the moment when the impatient duck gets a shocking surprise! The underlying idea, of course, is that we don't always stand to win everything by being first. Indeed, the illustrator dedicates the book to all the children who take their time and go slowly. Nevertheless, this is no message book and it makes its point by getting up to its own dark comedy and mischief in the most pleasing way. Born in Brazil, Kris Di Giacomo is a popular children's book illustrator who has lived in France for a long time. She has illustrated twenty picture books, a few of which she has written as well. Michaël Escoffier was born in France in 1970. Raised by a family of triceratops, he discovered his passion for writing and telling stories at a young age. He lives in Lyon, France, with his wife and two children.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Humor, Animals, Birds, Storytime

24 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Michaël Escoffier was born in France in 1970. He discovered his passion for writing and telling stories at a young age. He lives in Lyon, France, with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Lorellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny book about how being first isn't always best. It has cute illustrations.

[Donna Mork · Rating 5 out of 5]

Duck wants to be first at everything, until he finds out they are having duck for lunch.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and cute, but felt like a bit of a missed opportunity to prompt a real lesson about this, which is a common issue with kids.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Put this on hold when I was looking up a similar title. While my kids don't have a problem in this kind of behavior, it did also show a bit in greediness and that they struggle with at times. Worth sharing at home and in a storytime. (SD would especially love the part in the water, as would many other kids.)

8/27/18 Needed something for Movement storytime, and this was still on the desk. So I went with it. The older kids and adults got the humor at the very end. The younger might have missed it, but overall they all enjoyed the pictures.

[they think that i'm tom cruise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute! Funny!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

One day a family of ducks goes out to have some fun. Among them, is one brother that is more eager than the rest though. For each activity he brazenly shouts "me first!" and dashes off. This over-eagerness is accompanied by looks of incredulity, surprise, or disapproval from his siblings and mother, who just happen to be in the path of his bursts of flight.

The other ducks are clearly unable to enjoy the day as much when their toys are stolen, or their brother acts rude, something which this little duck neglects to notice. At the end of the day he runs off one final time and on the final page finds himself learning a lesson he will never forget; being first isn't always for the best.

Both the simple text and pictures prefer to let the subject matter speak for itself, and while it seems silly on the surface it is a much more serious tale than that, and cautions against eagerness. More sympathy is actually felt for the family than this troublesome child though. It is they that have to deal with him, and while he certainly learned not to rush off in the end, there is no guarantee he learned to show respect towards others.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little duckling SO reminded me of someone in my own family! Personally, I found it highly irritating that everyone gets mad at him, but no one corrects his behavior, not even the parent. The scene where he toots in the pond is rude and gross, and doesn't seem to correlate to anything else in the book. I guess it is just there for the gross-out comedy factor for younger readers. The crude drawings and limited color scheme were not appealing to me. But I did find the final frame, where the duckling does an impersonation of another animal, quite funny!

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

The right balance of charm and irreverence made this a win for me. One little duckling is determined to be first, but eventually learns it might not always be the best thing. The illustrations open the possibility of dialog about the other little duckings, and how they deal with their overbearing sibling.

[José García · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una familia de patos y uno de los hermanos quiere ser siempre el primero, para salir a jugar, para ir a pescar, para ir a bañarse...
Al final no parece tener muchas ganas de ser el primero.
Ilustraciones magníficas de Kris Giacomo con unos detalles sutiles y una historia graciosa con un poco de humor negro. El único pero es que es tan, tan corto...

[Lia Lune · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miau miau 🐱🦆 jaja

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

One impatient duck in the duck family always wants to be first until he finds out that being first isn't always the most desirable. Simple sentences and a surprise ending make this a story worth reading aloud. PreK-2.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

LAST PICTURE BOOK!! This book was comprised of simple illustrations that provided a wonderful format for this story to come to life. I enjoyed how this story provides the opportunity for young children to become interactive with the reader. This is a great beginner reader selection.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a very funny book that I think should be read and enjoyed by all school children. this will teach children about the concept of "me first" not being the best attitude to have towards everything you do. Great ending!!!

[Beth Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple story, few words. Nice illustrations. The duck that always has to be first seems indistinguishable from his brothers - I think I'd have made him a bit different. Also, does he need to toot in the bath?

[Emily Matview · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a nice refrain for storytime. The young duck yells out "Me first" on about every other page, responding selfishly to a variety of prompts from momma duck. A little bit of black humor comes at the end.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was GREAT. Such a killer last page.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

lovely pictures. ending with a twist after duck realizes that being first isn't always the most important thing.

[David Bauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious and perfect to read to the kid who always wants to go first! read aloud.

[Iqra Masood · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hilarious because the duckling wants to do everything before everyone else but when it comes to eating a duck, he just becomes a kitten.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Age: Preschool-Kindergarten

A super simple read-aloud for those "selfish" children that always declare "Me first!"

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books of the year. HILARIOUS! And with a wonderfully wicked, child-friendly sense of humor.

[Brindi Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the kids will enjoy shouting "Me first! Me first!" when the time comes. Cute ending. (humorous)

[Trey Veazey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple story told primarily through pictures & a nice use of predictive language, this book has an ending that guarantees a chuckle.

[Bambi Pea · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In the duck family there are four siblings, one of whom always wants to be first-until the moment when the impatient duck gets a shocking surprise."

[Eva Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was ok.
You know who always wants to be first, is Tim at daycare. I don't get it.

[Damera Blincoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chuckled, lol

[Liz Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really a "school" theme, but a great reminder that sometimes it's not the advantage to be "first." Great social skills read--quick, funny.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple storyline with great, unexpected finish.

[Nicole Linder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story, good story for children who always want to be first.