I Want To Be A Duck
I Want To Be A Bunny
illustrated by Pintachan
Oxford Children’s Books

These are the first titles in the publisher’s Move and Play series. Each comes with a mask to cut out from a flap inside the front cover and has a QR code which enables users to see and hear the movements of the featured characters.

The little duck starts by demonstrating his quacking and then invites little humans to emulate him. We then follow the duck as he waddles to the pond wiggling his bum and slapping his webbed feet against the ground.

Splash, he goes into the water and starts paddling those webbed feet. Feeling somewhat hungry, duck nibbles at various small water dwelling creatures. This he does by sticking his bottom up and bobbing his head beneath the surface. Along comes a dragonfly: paddle paddle goes duck in pursuit , duck flaps his wings and takes to the air, missing his prey and landing splash, back in the pond only to discover that the farmer has come to feed him. Gobble, gobble goes duck. Little humans are asked to try doing each action and making each sound during the simple story.

The Bunny story follows a similar pattern and this time there’s hopping, nose twitching, nibbling, digging , stretching up,

running, tail bobbing, hopping and snuggling down to sleep for youngsters to copy.

Both books end by putting the entire sequence together on a spread and asking ‘Do the …. Dance’.
Pintachan’s bright, dynamic illustrations are alluring and engaging and Kate Woolly’s words are pitched at just the right level to encourage the very young to get active.