Rest Well, Furry And Feathered Friends

As soon as the plan is made and parents are consulted, the excitement builds.  Even if they are your next door neighbor, the thrill is still there.  Thoughts of shared chatter, laughter and activities fill you up with joy.  Is there anything more fun than getting to spend the night with your best buddy?

Two friends who never tire of encouraging one to be more like the other are returning for another delightful adventure.  They met in Hey Duck! (Random House, January 22, 2013) and returned in a companion title, Just a Duck? (Random House, January 27, 2015).  Sleepover Duck! (Random House, January 2, 2018) written and illustrated by Carin Bramsen is sure to have you smiling from beginning to end.

Hey, Cat!  My mom said it's all right
to sleep inside the barn tonight.

As the sun sets Cat and Duck are happily celebrating their slumber party night.  Duck, as usual, is ready to commemorate the event with a singular series of steps,

the slumber party dance!

A special game is next on the agenda.  Cat is immediately declared the winner.

Duck needs a little assistance in falling asleep properly.  Cat willingly provides hints.  Just before Duck descends into dreamland a new noise, a soft sound, shakes Duck awake.

It's something different for the duo to do.  They search among the other slumbering barn mothers and their children, a cow, a mare, a ewe and a sow.  Determined to locate the source, Duck climbs to the loft.

From this height answers and new surprises are provided.  The slumber party guest numbers grow.  Soon it's time to snuggle close.  Here's wishing the furry and feathered friends have sweet dreams.


A gentle rhythmic cadence beckons to readers through rhyming words at the end of sentences and phrases.  Carin Bramsen uses the conversations of Cat and Duck and the other animals resting in the barn to assist in making us a part of the slumber party.  The compelling exuberance of Duck and companionable support of Cat are the perfect ingredients for an evening to remember.  Here is a passage.

Well, lie down first.  Try breathing deep.
It's not so hard to fall asleep.

Then I'll lie here, if you don't mind.
Oh, thanks.  That's better.  You're too kind. . . .


When you look at the friends on the dust jacket, Cat curled on a bed of straw and Duck positioned for action, probably laughing, you can't resist opening the book case cover.  The evening sky of rich blues and purple extends across the spine for a full, double-page illustration.  Stars twinkle around a crescent moon on the back to the left.  Other mounds of straw frame a small wooden structure.  The surprise guest sits there silently.  (I am working with an F & G.)

The opening and closing endpapers, unique to these books, are pale yellow, downy like the feathers on a baby duck.  Duck, in the same position as on the front of the dust jacket, is poised on straw beneath the text on the title page.  He is close to us, looking right into our eyes.

Each picture, in full color, spans two pages, single pages or several on a single page framed in white.  There are a series of images without words, as in the previous two titles, which depict the distinct personality of the characters.  They create an irresistible connection between them and us.  Careful readers will see the source of the sound following Duck and Cat.  This is the best kind of humor.

One of my many favorite illustrations is on two pages.  Across the top is the red siding of the inside of the barn.  A portion of a bucket and rope are visible on the left.  A wooden floor spans to a bed of straw along the bottom.  Cat is stretched out to from the left to the edge of the page on the right.  One eye is open, the other is closed.  Duck is relaxing on Cat's head until the noise causes Duck to flip and land on Cat's back.  We can see the noise maker but Cat and Duck cannot.


For a bedtime or quiet time treat Sleepover Duck! written and illustrated by Carin Bramsen is absolutely charming.  Guys and gals will be happy these lovable characters have returned in a third title.  Pure magic is heightened in threes. You'll want copies on your professional and personal bookshelves. 

To learn more about Carin Bramsen and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  At the publisher's website you can view interior illustrations.  You'll be able to see those opening and closing endpapers which you'll long to touch, expecting them to be soft and fuzzy.

You Don't Look Like A...

Before the first word is read at story time, the guys and gals are asked to stand, hold hands and make a circle.  Then those words they love are uttered, let's pretend.  You are a baby elephant wanting to get your mother's attention; put your hands together forming a trunk and trumpet.  You are a puppy outside for the final time that day with your human; raise your nose to the moon and howl.  You are a duckling who just can't keep up; waddle and quack to tell your siblings to slow down.  You are a kitten trying to catch a dragonfly; you move with caution, pounce and swipe with your paws.

If you've ever watched newborn and young animals, they mimic their parents instinctively knowing this will increase their chances of survival.  They are constantly being coached to sharpen these skills.   What if they like the children pretended to be other than themselves?  Those two darling characters first introduced to readers in Hey, Duck! (Random House, January 22, 2013) written and illustrated by Carin Bramsen have returned in a companion title, Just a Duck? (Random House, January 27, 2015).  

My good friend Duck!
Why slink like that?

Well, can't you see? I am a cat.

Cat brings to Duck's attention his lack of similar physical characteristics.  Ever the optimist Duck says he will look like Cat once he grows up.  His ears are simply tiny but Cat sees no ears whatsoever.

Noticing Duck's crestfallen look Cat decides to agree with Duck.  With a whoop of joy, Duck joins Cat in a favorite pastime.  Tree climbing proves to be a bit of a challenge though.  Like a true friend Cat again suggests Duck needs time for claws to grow.

When Duck suggests they try to play canoe on the lake, Cat's eyes widen.  Another idea seems much better; run, jump and catch a leaf.  Oh! No!   A last leap off the end of the dock results in a resounding splash.  Water and cats don't go together.

Concern for a cherished companion has Duck splashing into the pond regardless of a cat's dislike of all things wet.  With a death grip on a nearby floating log, Cat looks wild and wide-eyed at the little duck.  Dry land is definitely a desired destination.  Heroic efforts and a little rock 'n' roll make for a wonderful watery outcome.


This story starts, as did the first title, with the slinking of cats.  Rather than wanting Cat to be a duck, Duck now thinks and acts like a cat.  This ties neatly to the last word of Hey, Duck!, MEOW!  Lilting, rhyming sentences by Carin Bramsen wrap readers in the warmth of Duck and Cat's friendship. Their conversations reveal a strengthening in their relationship; a give-and-take banter.  Here is a sample passage.

Oh, dear! This
really is a shame.
I think I'm off my
climbing game.

Now, now. We climb with
claws, you know.
Your claws might need some
time to grow.
On, yes, I think they're still
too small... 


Unfolding the dust jacket, we are treated to an illustration spanning both pages of the weathered boards of the rustic, rich red barn as a background for Cat and Duck.  Added details of the forget-me-nots, poppies, pansies and sunflowers along with the battered green bucket with garden tools provide readers with more information about the home of the two pals.  Carin Bramsen's meticulous details add texture to this and all the pictures throughout, inviting you to touch each one.  Downy yellow duckling feathers cover the opening and closing endpapers. Splashing water is the backdrop for the verso.  On the title page, as on the front dust jacket, Duck's wings are uplifted; he's looking at them wondering if they are paws.

Bramsen shifts the image sizes to enhance the cadence of her story; two page spreads, smaller illustrations on a single page, a single page visual or a single image like a cutout surrounded by white space.  For the sequence of Duck trying to climb a tree and Duck and Cat in the lake there are eight wordless squares on two pages.   Facial features of each character are so expressive no words are necessary.

Every single image exudes enchanting appeal but one of my favorites is the first one in the book.  Duck is bent over raising his tiny legs to replicate the smooth movements of a cat.  Close behind in the grass is Cat.  As usual they are engaged in a chat.  In the distance we can see the barns, brilliant blue sky and rolling green hills.


Just a Duck? written and illustrated by Carin Bramsen continues to explore the themes of personal identity and friendship through a story brimming with charm in text and illustrations.  You keep hoping the characters will walk right off the pages into your presence.  So lovable are Duck and Cat, this book will be read and read again preferably with distinctive voices.

To explore more about Carin Bramsen and her other books please visit her website by following the link embedded in her name.  At the publisher's website you get a sneak peak at more interior pages.  Here is an interview of Carin Bramsen at Frog On A Blog posted shortly after my review of her first book.

But I'm Not A...

At first glance what we think may be, might be something else entirely if given a chance to look more slowly and with intention.  Then, too, there is the case of looking at something which closely resembles another to the point we think they are one and the same.  The classic comic example of this is a small child spying a skunk and crying out, "Kitty!"

There are those moments when desire seems to completely alter perception; where what we see and what is, are total opposites.  In Carin Bramsen's debut book as both author and illustrator, Hey, Duck! (Random House, January 22, 2013) a little duck is looking and...hoping.  When you view life as a glass half full, as does Duck, good things might be right around the corner...er...puddle.


Hey, duck!
Why do you walk like that?
I slink because I am a cat.

Yes, a duck thinks a cat is a duck. Through a series of questions and thoughts we sense duck's possible puzzlement but determination.  The cat's tail length is compared to the duck's.  Fur is thought of as feathers; to the chagrin of the cat.

Duck invites and coaxes needing a partner in the puddle stomp.  Irritation on the rise the cat tells the duck to skedaddle, preferring solitude.   A raspberries match ensues between the two.

Duck decides one can have fun as cat settles into a snooze.  A refrain of duck's startles the cranky cat to wakefulness.  Now who's calling, Hey, duck?

A change of heart is a start as is the sound cat makes.  Duck feels a dance coming into those webbed feet.  You know what that means.  But a surprise is in store for cat and every reader.


Told entirely in dialogue readers are treated to a rhyming tale of upbeat persistence.  The contrast between duck's cheerfulness and cat's crabbiness creates humorous tension. The recurring refrain, Hey, duck! provides added rhythm. With careful word selection Bramsen has given readers very distinct voices for each of her characters.


Upon opening up the jacket and cover (a single illustration spanning both pages) you can't help but be attracted to the colorful, charming portrayal of cat and duck; the cute quotient is sky-high. Opening and closing endpapers in pale yellow resemble the downy feathers of a duckling due to the tiniest of lines and shading.  Teeny little duck footprints with drops of water are placed in a loop around the dedication extending from the left page to the right where duck sits in his "pond" beneath the title.

For most of the illustrations a vivid sky blue is the background whether they are two page, a single page or grouped by twos or threes on a page.  When smaller visuals are used white space provides a frame of alternating shapes; rectangle, circle or oval.  The texture and detail of each picture is exquisite; at the very least you'll want to reach out and touch them expecting to feel fur, feather, grass, tree bark or water.  Facial expressions, eyes many times looking right at the reader, and body movements convey each and every emotion and personality trait with perfection; cat hanging onto the tree with claws extended and arms spread, the wordless spat, duck splashing in the water with complete abandon, or cat's startled looks.


Carin Bramsen's debut work as both author and illustrator, Hey, Duck!, is a delightful exploration of compromise in the forging of friendships; of how goodness is many times not recognized until it's gone.  It would make a wonderful read aloud using appropriate voices for the two characters or a bedtime pick for just a few.  I predict multiple readings. (I've read it again and again, myself.)  I can see pairing this with Leeza Hernandez's Dog Gone! or Dog in Charge written by K. L. Going with illustrations by Dan Santat.