Poor Duck just wants to carve a jack-o'-lantern to impress his pals Pig and Mouse. But when the feathered hero struggles to get one last pumpkin seed from his hollowed-out creation, he falls in! As with her highly entertaining Rhyming Dust Bunnies books, Jan Thomas makes the most of a comical situation. First she pictures Duck stuck inside the pumpkin, legs waving in the air, with thought bubbles that read, "Uh-oh... This isn't good." From inside the pumpkin, Duck shouts, "Can anyone help me?" Fortunately, he's able to roll himself upright and moves his legs to advance the pumpkin in search of assistance. Or maybe it's not so fortunate. Pig and Mouse take him for a pumpkin monster and try to run from Duck. When they shout, "Pumpkin Monster," however, Duck doesn't realize they're referring to him and, frightened, tries to flee, too. The pumpkin monster in pursuit terrifies Pig and Mouse more.
This is spot-on toddler humor. Young children will love being in on the joke--especially because Duck is not, which only ups the humor quotient. When Duck breaks out of his bind, Pig and Mouse believe he has defeated the pumpkin monster. The more Duck seems doomed to repeat himself (which he does), the merrier the toddler audience will be. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness