Duck on a Tractor by David Shannon

Duck on a Tractor by David Shannon. Published (2016). 32 unnumbered pages.  L AD 480L. RL 208 Int Level K-3.  Once again, Duck has great ideas about what to do and his abilities. See how he accomplishes his desires, and how everyone perceives what they see.

  

Booklist (September 15, 2016 (Online))

Preschool-Grade 1. Duck is at it again with his wild ideas! Since he was able to ride a bike (Duck on a Bike, 2002), why not try a tractor? Once he gets it running, duck invites the farm animals to hop on for a ride. While getting aboard, the animals each exclaim one thing, but think another. ‘Woof!’ said Dog. But what he thought was, ‘We’re going for a ride!’“ The animals catch the attention of the townsfolk as Duck drives the tractor past the diner, where, like the animals, each person exclaims one thing but thinks another. When Farmer O’Dell realizes that the animals are on his tractor, it’s a mad dash for the animals back to the farm while the townsfolk wonder if what they saw was just an optical illusion. Shannon’s engaging text, lightly sprinkled with onomatopoeia, offers comical insight into the difference between thoughts and words, and his brightly colored paintings fill the pages with hilarious, over-the-top facial expressions. A great read aloud—one-on-one or for story time

Duck on a Tractor is such a great example of trying to do something you shouldn't be able to do and succeeding. Yet, the second part of this story is all about how everyone in the story says one thing, while really thinking something completely different.  This book has opened up lots of discussions in 1st grade about, "Do we really always say what we are thinking?", and talking about examples from personal experiences.  The children always like to discuss the illustrations as I show them other books that David Shannon has either written and illustrated or just illustrated.  This book is a definite winner.

~Posted by Margo Irving