Parents need to know that this book can be enjoyed simply as a playful game about optical illusions and finding shapes in clouds. It also might easily lead into a greater discussion about the different ways people see the same things, and why. And, even more, what should you do when you see things differently from someone else?Positive messagesPeople can disagree yet still remain friendly and respectful.Positive role modelsTwo unseen characters have a difference of opinion, but argue by giving facts, not calling names or getting mad.Violence & scarinessNot applicable LanguageNot applicable From commonsensemedia.orgBooklist starred (April 1, 2009 (Vol. 105, No. 15))Preschool-Grade 1. How cute is this? Really, really cute. Some readers may know the visual puzzle that makes the same line drawing look like a rabbit or a duck, depending on how you squint; this book is even funnier (and a little disorienting) if you’re meeting Duck/Rabbit for the first time. But even those familiar with how ears can turn into a beak will get a kick out of the way Rosenthal and Lichtenheld move the concept forward. The offstage narrators see something interesting: “Hey, look! A duck!” “That’s not a duck. That’s a rabbit!” Then the back and forth begins, with the duck quacking while the rabbit is sniffing, the duck eating bread, the rabbit munching a carrot. In the most clever spread, readers turn the book vertically to see the duck getting a drink of water, while the rabbit cools its ears. The simple art is reminiscent of Eric Rohmann’s work and will appeal to the same audience. Despite the story basically being one joke, the clever tone and the amusing pictures (rendered in ink, watercolor, “and a wee bit of colored pencil”) never let it feel that way. The clever ending might inspire kids (and parents) to create their own artistic twofers.Horn Book (May/June, 2009)It's a duck. No, it's a rabbit. Either way, it's up to readers to decide which kind of creature the ambiguous figure at the center of each double-page spread actually is. With echoes of the endless debates between Samuel Beckett's Vladimir and Estragon, two offstage narrative voices fight back and forth. "Wait. Listen. Did you hear that? I heard duck sounds," says the voice on the left. To which the voice on the right replies, "That's funny. I distinctly heard rabbit sounds." Rosenthal's skillfully written banter is heightened by Lichtenheld's simple ink, watercolor, and colored pencil illustrations of the white duck-rabbit figure outlined in thick black line and silhouetted against a bright blue, friendly sky. This exercise in visual perception is both a great brainteaser and great fun. Even at the end, when the two speakers switch positions on whether the creature is a duck or rabbit, readers are left uncertain. The final joke shows an absurdity Beckett would appreciate, and further drives home the idea that there are many ways of looking at the same thing. Horn Book starred (July, 2009)It's a duck. No, it's a rabbit. While two offstage narrators argue, readers can decide what the central figure in each double-page spread actually is. Rosenthal's skillfully written banter is heightened by Lichtenheld's simple ink, watercolor, and colored-pencil illustrations of the white duck-rabbit figure outlined in thick black line and silhouetted against a bright blue sky. A great brainteaser and great fun.Kirkus Reviews (March 1, 2009)The art of optical illusions provides creative fodder for young guessing-game enthusiasts. In this modern twist on a classic form, two unseen characters' cheerful banter provides clues to an unknown object's identity. Each tries to persuade the other to see his or her version of the picture; their interactions' brevity provide a subtle charm. "Here, look at my duck through my binoculars." "Sorry, still a rabbit." The central character in this slight story is Lichtenheld's ink, watercolor and colored-pencil art. Two laid-back, parallel rabbit ears--or a duck's bill depending on the reader's focus--serve as the dominant image against the soft blue background, occupying the center of the composition even as its context changes. Thick black outlines perfectly complement the solid illustration within; its observant single eye seamlessly appears to look in opposite directions. The images displayed are also reflected in the endpaper's billowy clouds, providing a whimsical touch. Once youngsters solve this puzzle, they'll be clamoring for the next. Now is that a brachiosaurus or an anteater? (Picture book. 5-8)Library Media Connection (August/September 2009)This sweet silly picture book is a play on the optical illusion that the character either looks like a duck or rabbit depending upon how one focuses on the image. On each page two voices try to convince each other that the image is a duck or rabbit. They point out the duck bill and the rabbit ears. They say he is hopping or flying. For kids who have trouble seeing the two animals, one of the last pages completes the illusion to look like both animals. The book ends with a new optical illusion that can be either brontosaurus or anteater. Children will delight in the argument between the two voices and love the drawings. The illustrations are simple and bright. This book will be great fun to share as a library or classroom read-aloud. Recommended. Amanda Jones, Library Media Specialist, Dominion Trail Elementary School, Ashburn, VirginiaPublishers Weekly (March 23, 2009)The team behind The OK Book again plays with perspective and visual trickery, this time using a classic image that looks like either a rabbit (with long ears) or a duck (with a long bill). In a series of spreads that show the boldly outlined duck/rabbit against a blue sky, two offstage speakers, their words appearing on either side of the animal's head, argue their points of view. The snappy dialogue makes for fine read-aloud: "Are you kidding me? It's totally a duck." "It's for sure a rabbit." Though the main image is basically static, Lichtenheld has fun with the details and setting, placing the animal behind green leaves ("Now the duck is wading through the swamp." "No, the rabbit is hiding in the grass"), near water ("Look, the duck is so hot, he's getting a drink." "No, the rabbit is so hot, he's cooling off his ears"), etc. The creature's disappearance brings a brief moment of reconciliation, but the twist ending puts the speakers at odds again. Duck? Rabbit? As kids will readily see, it depends on how you look at it. Ages 3-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.School Library Journal (May 1, 2009)K-Gr 2-Two unseen characters debate the identity of the creature at the center of this clever book-is it a duck or a rabbit? Readers will join in the discussion, because the creature could, in fact, be either. Just as each of the debaters begins to see the other's perspective, the duck/rabbit runs away and they see an anteater. Or is it a brachiosaurus? Text and illustrations are intimately wedded in this fun, interactive read-aloud. The bold lines and bright colors in Lichtenheld's illustrations are a visually pleasing match for the bantering text. With a strong, well-executed concept, this book provides an excellent starting point for discussing how points of view can differ and still be right.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information "Duck! Rabbit!" reminded me of the optical illusions classmates and I could not get enough of in upper elementary and middle school. I loved being able to see two pictures in the same drawing. Focusing on one element over another could make the brain see either a young or old woman. Just like those illusions, I liked it when I could see both the duck and the rabbit.This book reminded me of another picture book I've read titled, "Exclamation Mark." I wasn't surprised to learn that the same author and illustrator created a fun story about punctuation and perspective. In "Exclamation Mark" the main character can change the meaning of the text by changing where he stands on the page, similar to the way focusing on the left or right side of the illustration changed the story in "Duck! Rabbit!""Duck! Rabbit!" is a fun and simple introduction to the idea that two people can view the same situation and see two completely different things. Personal knowledge and experience is a unique lens through which we observe and process information. This book is about perspective, not about being right or wrong. It also hints at the idea that people will find a way to support their claim that the creature is a duck because it quacked or a rabbit because it sniffed.
What do You think about Ente! Hase! (2010)?
I love it! It's clever and silly at the same time!
—terrizimmy
