Book 172: 10 Little Rubber Ducks

10 Little Rubber Ducks, by Eric Carle, HarperCollins 2005.

This book is wonderful for so many reasons.  First, it's about rubber ducks.  Second, it by Eric Carle.  Third, it's a counting book.  Fourth, it's an ocean book.  Fifth, it's a book about traveling.  Sixth, it's a book about adoption.  And finally, it's a rubber duck book by Eric Carle.  It's hard to imagine anything better than that, except, maybe that this book was part of the Kohl's Cares Book.

My son received this book for Easter.  He didn't get past the title page with the numbered ducks; he was pretty happy with that page.  I, however, have read this book when I used it for library Story Time.  Kids do love the counting-to-ten part, but they also really enjoy all the directions the little ducks go, their adventures, and what they encounter.

The artwork, of course, is spectacular.  Eric Carle has a unique gift for painting by subtraction as much as by addition:  Every brush stroke that removes the paint from the canvas is just as eloquent as every brush stroke that puts it on.