Tiger Press ISBN 9781788815901 £11.99
The book title and the cover illustration pull you in from the very beginning. The characterisation of duck and frog is brilliant. They are reminiscent in body posture and vexatious looks of, at best two troubled teens or at worst two gangster criminals and as the title suggests ‘Don’t mess with duck’. So why all the angst? Well, Duck likes peace, but his pond has become full of squawking, chattering, flapping and splashing. When it is clear that things are not going to settle down to his liking he sets off to find a quieter spot. He travels to cities, caves and mountains but all of them have their own noisy inhabitants and duck can’t find the peace he craves. When, at last, he finds a pond that looks just right, and seems peaceful, private and relaxing, he settles down happy to be alone at last. His peace is short-lived when he hears a sigh coming from the other side of the pond. When he confronts the sigh giver he comes face to face with an equally grumpy frog also looking for peace. In a fantastically illustrated ‘glare off’ they both tell each other to “Clear off!” The remainder of the story shows how they learn to live with each other quietly minding their own business and doing their own things peacefully until they find they have accidentally become friends. When their happy coexistence is shattered by the arrival of a noisy new family will they revert to their grumpy ways…. Well you’ll have to read to find out. This is a cracker of a book for 3-7s . The humour is clear in the illustrations and the text is both funny in ways children will love but also rich and crafted. It’s a winner for me. Themes of friendship, mental space, different habitats and creatures, feelings, respect.
Jane Macleod