The Family Bookshelf
By Bob Walch

"Seymour and Henry"
(Candlewick Press) by Kim Lewis

The Audience: For active children two and up who may not always listen when they are told play time is over.  (32 pages)

The Issue: Two little ducklings get a little carried away on an afternoon's outing and don't obey their mother when she says it is time to head for home.

The Content: Seymour and Henry are having a wonderful day at the duck pond when their mother calls out, "Come along, my little ducks. It's time for us to go home." 

Not wanting to call it a day, Seymour and Henry quickly waddle off in the other direction. They scamper through the grass and hide in a flower pot thinking their mother will find them. Of course, they are surprised when she doesn't appear. Where could she be?

Have they ventured too far from the pond? Are they lost? Where's Mommy Duck? Now the ducklings have to try to retrace their steps and the hope they can find the pond again. This is not the hide-and-seek game they wanted to play. Perhaps they will listen to their mother next time!

The Message: The story reinforces the idea that it is always a good idea to listen to what a parent says. This message is very important for the child who is prone to "take off" in the opposite direction when you say, "We have to go now!"

Before retiring, Bob Walch taught English in Santa Barbara and Carmel for 39 years. His reviews of children's literature appear in Central Coast newspapers and on line at the Reading Tub, Roundtable Reviews, My Shelf and Parent Click.