Why Ducks Sleep on One Leg

by Sherry Garland, Jean Tseng (Illustrator), Mou-Sien Tseng (Illustrator)

A Vietnamese folktale explaining the phenomenon of ducks' sleeping on one leg

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens

32 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Sherry Garland is the award-winning author of 30 books for children, teens and adults.

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why Ducks Sleep On One Leg by Sherry Garland, illustrated by Jean Tseng and Mou-sien Tseng, is a Vietnamese folktale explaining why ducks sleep on one leg. After writing a petition, asking for second legs, to the Jade Emperor, then realizing it was too far away for them to walk, a goose advises the ducks to ask the Guardian Spirit at the village dihn. There the Spirit laughs at them, but finally gives the three ducks what they desire, advising them to guard them carefully.

Tseng's detailed illustrations are watercolor paintings. My favorite images include the cover, dragons and fairies, clumsy water buffalo, teased by animals, rooster writes petition, to the dihn, guardian spirit grumbled, spirit laughs, show off legs, and the last image.

I enjoyed this story, and especially liked the illustrations, featuring some humor and the varying emotions of the ducks, mostly set in a fuedal Vietnamese village. The Author's Note at the front of the book gives useful background information. I will look for more books by the Tseng's.

For ages 4 and up, folktales, animals, ducks, Vietnam, legs, read-aloud, and fans of Sherry Garland and Jean Tseng.

[Diana Pettis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this out loud to my sons on our way to NYC for vacation. Although I found myself stopping a lot to explain the vocabulary in the text (emperor, and character names). One thing to remember with picture books if you are reading them aloud for children is to make sure they have some background knowledge about what the story will entail. This would not be a book I would use in a guided reading group unless students had considerable background knowledge about what happens in Vietnam.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

My personal reaction would be this a very cute book with a touching pourquoi story. I liked the comedy mixed through out as well. The ending where they finally got another leg is the best for me. The purpose of this book would be to read aloud to make a curriculum connection about a unit about ducks. This book teaches the children if they want something it is not going to magically appear without effort to try and change the situation or get what you want. Perseverance is a good lesson learned by the ducks in the book. The illustrations interacted with the text and highlighted the animals.

[Roxann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually love to read this type of story to children. The illustrations were lovely. The story was a little different with the ducks being created with only one leg, but the ending was nice.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid if somewhat staid example of a pourquoi tale that can be used in traditional literature units. The Vietnam setting adds interest.

[Tsoniah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was hard to figure out the theme of the book

[Hannah McMullin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why Ducks Sleep on One Leg is a myth that comes from Southeast Asia. This story follows the tale of three ducks who were only made with one leg each. They find this unfair as it is hard for them to walk, get food, and they are bullied from other animals around them. They decide that they will ask the Jade Emperor for another leg each so they can leave in peace. During their adventure, they run into many friends who either help or hinder their progress to getting another leg.
I give this story a four star rating because it is a clever story that explains why some ducks sleep on one leg. But the story would be difficult for a child to understand. There is a lot of background knowledge that needs to be known going into the story, so it would be up to the adult helping the child read the story to ensure that they are understanding the cultural context of the story.

[Gayathiri Rajendran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very comic and cute book with good illustrations.This is basically a children's book but I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book