Eve's Ducklings

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC of this book.
Read and reviewed by seven-year-old Amy.

‘Eve’s Ducklings’ is a picture book about Eve, who has gone to the lake with her grandfather. In the lake, there were some ducklings. She makes up her mind that she would hold, pet, hug, and every other thing you could do to a duckling. (Except things which are bad for ducklings, like hurt one.) Does she ever get to at least do one of the things she wants to do?
Read this funny picture book to find out! This book has beautiful illustrations and a great cover.

I give this book 5/5 stars as it is hilarious. I would love to read more by this author.

What a delightful book. The illustrations are lovely and the story too. I read this to my pre school class and they loved it. There was repetition in it to engage the children to help be involved in the story telling which I love. The pictures were detailed enough to get some lovely conversations going and the message was put across without being stern. Being kind to animals is an important message and I think this book did it beautifully. I will definitely read this again to my class.

Read this book to my wee boy tonight as part of his bedtime story. He loved this book that much he had to get it read to him twice.
Loved the wee message behind the book about being kind to animals, he even picked up on this and said that if you try to catch a baby duck the mammy duck will chase you away.
Brilliant book will be a regular story for him.

What a fun story! It reminded me of my childhood and brought back fond memories.
I loved the relationship between Eve and her Grandpa on their adventures to the park. Eve’s mishaps made for entertaining reading but also teaches children the importance of being kind to animals. The illustrations in this book are amazing – it is certainly one to keep on the shelf and read over and over. I really enjoyed it!

Beautiful illustrations and such a sweet story. Little girl, Eve, takes walks with her Grandfather to the lake to see the ducklings. I highly recommend this picture book to kids of all ages. Thanks #netgalley for the early review copy. I loved it.

What a lovely book! I love the illustrations and the characters. This book teaches children to be kind to animals and not disturb them in their natural environment—an adorable must-have for children who like animals.

With the cutest illustrations, this book teaches kids the lessons of boundaries with wild animals (specifically ducks). I like that Eve learned how to interact with the ducks in an appropriate way.

Great book, that shows how simply you can enjoy nature, without harming it.
My favorite part was duck feeding with sunflower seeds, not the bread.

Eve and her Grandpa spend quality time together daily as they stroll along the lakefront. Eve spots a mother duck and her precious ducklings and she tries to befriend the babies. Mother duck is not amused and chases her away from her brood. Although disappointed Eve learns to not disturb animals in their natural environment but learns to respect their boundaries. Will Eve find a quiet, kind, caring way to connect to that duck family and make them her friends?

This charming story has lovely illustrations created with watercolours and ink. The message of the book inspires young readers to be caring and kind to animals. I love the intergenerational relationship between grandad and his sweet granddaughter and the wisdom he imparts to her. I highly recommend this book.

One chilly spring day, a young girl named Eve and her grandfather visit a nearby lake together for the very first time. Fascinated by a pair of baby ducklings frolicking in the water, Eve finds herself drawn to the playful creatures and wishing to hold, pat, and hug them. Mother duck is not happy about Eve getting too close to her babies, though! After a disappointing attempt at making contact, Eve and her grandfather choose to visit the playground together instead of the lake. However, several days later, Eve decides to try one last time to attract the ducklings using a different approach.

This intergenerational story celebrates the love between a grandfather and his young granddaughter. Parents of young children will recognize Eve’s enthusiasm, especially in two- to three-year-olds. Short, descriptive phrases and abundant dialogue make this book well-suited to preschool-aged readers, and it is designed to be especially enjoyable as a lap read.

The beautifully rendered illustrations are noteworthy on their own and serve to bring this story to life. Textured in unexpected ways, they perfectly capture the feeling of a chilly spring day with dappled sky and soft, green grass. Greens, blues, and yellows inherent to springtime fill each image, and readers can almost smell the park Eve and her grandfather are exploring. Background clues like an adjacent city skyline, palm trees, and cattails place the setting very specifically, while the jackets and hats worn by Eve and her grandfather indicate the outside temperature without textual context. Readers of all ages will be drawn to the cheery characters and the captivating visuals within this story.

At once a story about intergenerational love between a grandfather and his granddaughter and an example of the power of tenacity, Eve’s Ducklings draws readers into the dynamic and precious world of an inquisitive young child. Preschool-aged readers will especially connect with Eve’s story and look forward to sharing it with their grandparents.

Loved this adorable picture book so perfect for this new springtime weather.

Eve takes daily walks with her grandfather in the park. One day they encounter a mama duck with her ducklings. Eve REALLY wants to touch and hold them (who wouldn't?), but each time she tries she encounters a new problem. They go back each day, but no luck, so Eve decides to give them their space. By the end, she finally figures out the trick to getting the ducklings to be her friend.

This book is the perfect gift for/from grandparents (or other older adult family members) because of the sweet intergenerational relationship depicted here. Grandparents' Day in the U.S. is in September and with a publishing date of July 1st, the timing is quite perfect.

Highly recommend for classrooms and libraries for kids preK to 2.

Thank you to the author and Bonny Books for an early peek at this sweet book.

A super sweet and cute read about being kind to animals and to not touch or disturb them. My little ones loved it and the illustrations were perfect

Oh this was adorable. The illustrations were cute, the story was simple but really sweet, funny and easy to follow.

This short book reminded me of when I used to go to the lake with my grandfather, as a child. I too wanted to get closer to the ducklings and pat them.

Apart from being a cute little story, Eve’s Ducklings is also about respecting animals and learning to interact with them. Eve learns that wild animals are not supposed to be held or touched, but that giving sunflower seeds to the ducks might convince them to come closer. It is about being patient and accepting that you can’t always get exactly what you want the way you want it, but that there usually is a middle ground or another way to please everyone.

I would easily recommend this book for small children, especially the ones who love animals!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

This is a very sweet book, with eye catching illustrations, and has adorable baby animals! Very appealing to any child above the age of 4, and even 3, if the child is an early reader. It's quite simple for a child to read on its own as well. I really like that this story explains that it's not a good idea to approach baby animals- it's frightening for them and triggers a fight instinct in the mother animals! Cute story, and a nice buy.

This was an adorable picture book with an engaging message about being kind to animals.

Eve and her Grandad take daily walks to the park to see the ducklings and being an inquisitive child, Eve wants to get closer to the ducklings to hold, hug, pet etc. The consequences of this are humorously told in the illustrations until Eve realises the one thing she CAN do to the ducklings!

I loved the relationship between Eve and her Grandad, and I particularly liked how the duck food is sunflower seeds (not bread!) at the end.

Overall, a great story to share with little ones!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this as an eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

#EvesDucklings #NetGalley

My daughter and I read this book together and enjoyed guessing what would happen to Eve as she tried to get closer to the ducklings. This was a sweet book for kids that has a great lesson of patience.

This is such a sweet story about Eve and her grandfather seeing ducklings at the lake. This is a great way to teach your children to be kind to animals when out in their natural habitats. It’s an adorable story and a must read!

Eve's Ducklings
by Maria Monte

I read an arc of this book from NetGalley with my 4 year old. He enjoyed that mishaps that occurred when Eve tries to pet the ducklings.

We both enjoyed the illustrations. They were captivating. Especially the adorable ducklings. I enjoyed that Eve was not dressed in an overly girly way. This makes the book more accessible to boys and girls who would rather not dress in pink and bows.

As parent I think further explanation about respecting wildlife’s space would not have been amiss. However this is not a significant detriment as it leaves it open for parents to insert their own “moral of the story”.

Eve's Ducklings is such a lovely book with a great message! I loved the simplicity of this book. I also loved the beautiful illustrations. This book is perfect for younger children! I can't wait to add this to our collection at the library!

Thank you NetGalley and Bonny Books for this ARC!

The children in our pre-school classroom absolutely loved the illustrations in this book. When we went outside after story-time they were all looking for ducklings (even though our park doesn't have a pond). I think this would be an effective book to use in the Springtime as part of a curriculum that is trying to keep the children engaged and great for a Spring season addition.