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Earthquack!
They heard the ground grumble. Then they felt the ground rumble. And before they knew it, they were all taking a tumble!
"The earth is crumbling! The earth is crumbling! It's a quake!" quacked the duck.
In this inspired take on Henny Penny, who thought the sky was falling, Chucky Ducky, Lucy Goosey, and Vickie, Nickie, and Rickie Chickie spread the alarm that the earth is quaking. But just like Henny Penny, these concerned animals find that the cause of the crisis they fear is not what they expect at all.
Filled with clever wordplay, Margie Palatini's rollicking romp is given an added dimension through Barry Moser's dynamic and playful illustrations.
"The earth is crumbling! The earth is crumbling! It's a quake!" quacked the duck.
In this inspired take on Henny Penny, who thought the sky was falling, Chucky Ducky, Lucy Goosey, and Vickie, Nickie, and Rickie Chickie spread the alarm that the earth is quaking. But just like Henny Penny, these concerned animals find that the cause of the crisis they fear is not what they expect at all.
Filled with clever wordplay, Margie Palatini's rollicking romp is given an added dimension through Barry Moser's dynamic and playful illustrations.
32 pages, Hardcover
Published June 1, 2002
2 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
June 4, 2019
This is an older Palatini but it was new to me. I love her word play and it is pervasive in this book about a young duck who thinks he is experiencing an earthquake. His warnings are reluctantly heeded by other barnyard animals as they experience the similar rumblings. A sly weasel tries to take advantage of the situation before the animals discover what is really going on. With many animals with rhyming names and puns related to those animals, the word play is a great lesson in and of itself. A fun book for classrooms and families.
January 13, 2018
A bunch of farm animals freak out when they feel the ground rumble. They follow a weasel into it's hole, not knowing he's trying to take advantage of the situation to eat some of them. But a couple of moles come out and explain their digging was causing all the movement.
The illustrations are pretty but the story was kind of all over the place.
The illustrations are pretty but the story was kind of all over the place.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2022
Earthquack was written by Margie Palatini and illustrated by Barry Moser. This book was published by Simon & Schuster books for young readers in 2002 this book is fantasy. This is a fun and exciting book to have in an early elementary classroom and would be joyful for the students to learn more about farm animals.
March 18, 2017
Hilarious use of word play in an updated version of Chicken Little.
October 7, 2017
This was enjoyable to read - great wordplay and engaging illustrations. The only problem: it's a bit lengthy and repetitive for a children's picture book.
October 25, 2017
Earthquake version of chicken little, which turns out to be not an earthquake at all 🙂
March 12, 2018
"Chicken Little" meets the ending of "Caddyshack"?
November 18, 2019
A strange story with lots of silly rhymes. Repetitive and doesn't really make sense.
February 16, 2023
This was a cute book that included rhymes in it that children will love when you will read this book to them.
February 16, 2023
In this book there is an earth quake and the animals are trying to warn each other to make sure that everyone is staying safe and I think this can teach kids to help others.
April 6, 2023
This was a cute book that included rhymes in it that children will love when you will read this book to them.
January 14, 2012
I really liked this book! It was clever, funny, creative, and a fun retelling of the classic Chicken Little. I loved the wordplay, the unexpected ending, and I loved the characters (especially Brewster Rooster and "Herman Ermine"). I was expecting this book to be aimed at younger kids. After all, it stars a duckling and it has "quack" in the title. After reading Earthquack, however, I really think the richness of this story is likely to be best appreciated by adults.
Not that kids won't enjoy this book. My niece also liked Earthquack. She thought it was funny, and she realized right away that this was a Chicken Little story. She really seemed to appreciate the author's creativity in manipulating the Chicken Little tale in a little different way, and she enjoyed the twist ending, even offering up a little "HA!" at the end. That said, she certainly didn't pick up on all the wordplay going on in this tale, and I wouldn't expect her to at her age. That's fine--that just makes this a book that she can appreciate on different levels as she ages.
Earthquack never clicked for my four year-old nephew at all. He listened to about half of the first page, and then he was tuned out, off doing his own thing. The text may have been too long, or maybe there weren't enough pictures, or maybe they weren't bright enough, I don't know. This one just didn't grab him on any level. He did see one picture, though, and thought that the rooster and goose had somehow become fused together. That created a few tense moments for him, I must say! Upon closer examination, I can see his point. The chicken and rooster did kind of look stuck together. So, fair warning, the perspective in some of the illustrations may have a little potential to perplex the mind of a four year-old. :-)
Not that kids won't enjoy this book. My niece also liked Earthquack. She thought it was funny, and she realized right away that this was a Chicken Little story. She really seemed to appreciate the author's creativity in manipulating the Chicken Little tale in a little different way, and she enjoyed the twist ending, even offering up a little "HA!" at the end. That said, she certainly didn't pick up on all the wordplay going on in this tale, and I wouldn't expect her to at her age. That's fine--that just makes this a book that she can appreciate on different levels as she ages.
Earthquack never clicked for my four year-old nephew at all. He listened to about half of the first page, and then he was tuned out, off doing his own thing. The text may have been too long, or maybe there weren't enough pictures, or maybe they weren't bright enough, I don't know. This one just didn't grab him on any level. He did see one picture, though, and thought that the rooster and goose had somehow become fused together. That created a few tense moments for him, I must say! Upon closer examination, I can see his point. The chicken and rooster did kind of look stuck together. So, fair warning, the perspective in some of the illustrations may have a little potential to perplex the mind of a four year-old. :-)
April 4, 2016
Chucky Ducky feels the ground rumble and quake, and runs to warn the other barnyard animals. Meanwhile, a wily weasel plots ways to fill his tummy using the commotion. And eventually, the truth about the quakes and the weasely plots are uncovered.
Instead of the sky falling, this spin on the Chicken Little tale has a duck getting all riled up about the earth crumbling to bits in a quake. His fear spreads as the other animals also feel the quaking. The plot of the weasel is conniving but doesn't get far, and the real explanation for the quaking is a bit humorous. The illustrations are actually quite stunning watercolors that also manage to be humorous. There's lots of repeated phrases making this a good pick for little ones just starting to catch on to this reading thing. They should be able to catch on to the pattern and "read" along with an older reader. Language arts teachers covering assonance and consonance or puns will find plenty of examples in this book. And of course, it begs to be compare/contrasted with a typical Chicken Little tale.
Instead of the sky falling, this spin on the Chicken Little tale has a duck getting all riled up about the earth crumbling to bits in a quake. His fear spreads as the other animals also feel the quaking. The plot of the weasel is conniving but doesn't get far, and the real explanation for the quaking is a bit humorous. The illustrations are actually quite stunning watercolors that also manage to be humorous. There's lots of repeated phrases making this a good pick for little ones just starting to catch on to this reading thing. They should be able to catch on to the pattern and "read" along with an older reader. Language arts teachers covering assonance and consonance or puns will find plenty of examples in this book. And of course, it begs to be compare/contrasted with a typical Chicken Little tale.
June 21, 2010
I'm a more-or-less fan of Palatini. The stuff of hers I like, I love. The stuff of hers I'm so-so about... well, it's just apathy all around. *shrugs*
But this one was just $2, so I picked up a copy and crossed my fingers.
It's not my *favorite* of her books (that'd be Lousy Rotten Stinkin' Grapes), but it's sure a good one! This is a funny, punny variation on Chicken Little, with earthquakes instead of acorns and ducks instead of chicks. It *does* have Palatini's standard sarcasm-laden characters, so if you're trying to make every book sweetness and light for your kids, pass this one by. (But if that's the case, do you really want one where a major plot point is that one critter wants to eat the others? Seriously?)
Otherwise, I recommend this one highly.
But this one was just $2, so I picked up a copy and crossed my fingers.
It's not my *favorite* of her books (that'd be Lousy Rotten Stinkin' Grapes), but it's sure a good one! This is a funny, punny variation on Chicken Little, with earthquakes instead of acorns and ducks instead of chicks. It *does* have Palatini's standard sarcasm-laden characters, so if you're trying to make every book sweetness and light for your kids, pass this one by. (But if that's the case, do you really want one where a major plot point is that one critter wants to eat the others? Seriously?)
Otherwise, I recommend this one highly.
July 19, 2012
The traditional story of Henny Penny and the falling sky get a twist in this story featuring Chucky Ducky and an earthquake. Ms. Palatini uses great word choice to describe this scary event: “He heard the ground grumble. He felt the ground rumble. And then, with a stumble, Chucky Ducky went down in a tumble!” So he gets up, unruffled his feathers and off he goes to warn all his friends. Lucy Goosey, Brewster Rooster, Iggy Piggy, and the rest of the barnyard gang runs for cover. Meanwhile, the weasel sees all these animals in an uproar and he thinks of a way to invite them over for his supper. But never fear, he is unmasked before anyone gets hurt!
April 9, 2013
Though this story is at times a mouthful and at other times a tongue twister, throughout the entire story you'll stay laughing. All the clever wordplay that seems to by a hallmark of Margie Palatini's work is present in this clever nod to Chicken Little. This isn't some fractured retelling though. Oh no, this is all new story featuring a new cast of needlessly frightened barnyard animals. Given the choice between the two cases of livestock hysteria, I refer this one. You will too. Give it a read. You won't regret it.
Read
February 7, 2011This is another great children's book that would be great for a read-a-loud. There are so many rhyming schemes on every page, it would be a fun lesson to compare and contrast this story to a poem.It also has a lot repetition and reiterates a lot of the points in the story. This is helpful for children in younger grades and English Language Learners especially when first learning how to read. It will help them recognize letters and words they already know or are learning.
February 26, 2012
nice art.
however, the duck feels an earthquake and warns the other animals, they feel it also ("i know what i know, i felt what i felt" it says). and at the end of the book is told NO you're wrong. even though you felt it and we felt it, you're wrong. problem w/that is the duck was right and learned that adults may listen to you but in the end they'll screw you over and call you a liar. (this might be a good book to teach kids about cops.)
however, the duck feels an earthquake and warns the other animals, they feel it also ("i know what i know, i felt what i felt" it says). and at the end of the book is told NO you're wrong. even though you felt it and we felt it, you're wrong. problem w/that is the duck was right and learned that adults may listen to you but in the end they'll screw you over and call you a liar. (this might be a good book to teach kids about cops.)
February 23, 2011
My son really enjoyed this book, and gives it the 5 stars. It is a very interesting spin on the old "Henny Penny" story. Also, he greatly enjoys Margie Palatini's Moosekitos: A Moose Family Reunion book.
August 31, 2012
If a picture book makes me laugh out loud, then I have to write a review.
Earthquack! is a new incarnation of the Chicken Little story (so yeah, you won't be reading this regularly), but it is packed with clever use of idiom, rhyme, puns and cultural references and I really got a kick out of it.
A very fun read-aloud book.
Earthquack! is a new incarnation of the Chicken Little story (so yeah, you won't be reading this regularly), but it is packed with clever use of idiom, rhyme, puns and cultural references and I really got a kick out of it.
A very fun read-aloud book.
March 27, 2013
This story is a rendition of Chicken Little. Chucky Ducky feels the earthquake and alerts his friends. Then the weasel tried to trick them into becoming his meal! But he is discovered as an imposter and it turns out the two mole were just looking for their cousin. SO the earth was not quaking after all. I would use this as a fun read aloud or as part of an author study.
July 5, 2008
The pictures are great. The text is horrible. I just can't get past all of the ridiculous rhymes. I guess that it is in keeping with the original "The Sky is Falling" theme (on which this book is based), but I never did like "The Sky is Falling" story much in the first place.
April 16, 2009
hilarious! this is a great read to introduce fractured fairly tales, as well as maybe broach the subject of earthquakes before a school-wide drill! it's a joy to read out loud, and the prose is knee-slapping funny. the kids might not get all of the jokes, but you will love them!
March 9, 2011
Very much like Chicken Little and VERY repetitive (a quality I can't stand, even though I know most children enjoy it). It held my kids' interest and was sometimes amusing, but I really want to just take it back to the library and not have to read it again.
Read
August 23, 2011A take-off on Henny Penny's "The sky is falling" with Chucky Ducky exclaiming "The earth is crumbling!"
Good for the repetition:
They heard the ground grumble. Then they felt the ground rumble, And before they knew it, they were all taking a tumble.
February 28, 2012
This book follows a young duckling as he tries to escape from an earthquake unfolding beneath his feet. This book could be used to teach a science lesson about what causes earthquakes and their effects.
March 28, 2013
When Chucky Ducky feels the earth beneath him grumble and rumble, he runs to alert the other barnyard animals to the coming earthquake, but just as wily weasel is about to take advantage of their fears, the two sources of the rumbling is revealed.
October 9, 2013
Cute story with a duck thinking the sky is falling instead of chicken Little. He runs to tell the other barnyard animals and the wily weasel steps in to take advantage and have dinner. But the animals see though him. Read and compare Chicken Little and this story.
February 25, 2015
This book was pretty clever with a surprising turn of events. I like how repetitive the text was. This is a great read aloud for the younger students. The illustrations are beautiful and have a nice faded look to them.
January 7, 2025
When Chucky Ducky hears a rumble and a grumble beneath his feet he alerts all the farm animals of an earthquake causing a panic. This yarn is spun from the fabric of Henny Penny's "The sky is falling" is humorous and also has a hungry wormy weasel who has a plan to stock his paltry pantry.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews