PreS^-Gr. 1. Once again the author of the popular MathStart series explains a math concept in a simple, exuberant story with bright, clear pictures. A young cowboy cares for his five little ducks, and he scurries around to bring them three sacks of food and four bundles of hay with his two hands. When each duck brings a friend, the boy has double the ducks, so he needs to double the hay and double the food. For that, he needs double the hands to do the work--so, luckily, a friend joins him. The numbers are on the pages and so are all the things to count. In a double-page spread at the back of the book, Murphy suggests lots of activities and games for parents to use in the kitchen and at play to make preschoolers' first steps into addition and multiplication more fun. --Hazel Rochman

An adorably freckled farm boy caring for his five little ducks teaches young children what is involved when the five suddenly become ten. With a simple format that keeps the youngest of readers in mind, this newest in the MathStart series is sure to be a hit with both adults and children. The tale follows a young boy as he feeds and cares for his flock of ducks. Along the way, children count the objects in the pictures, with help from a bubble in each corner that visually represents the correct number of objects and the numeral. There is one boy with two hands, three sacks of food, four bundles of hay for a nest, and five ducks. When they go for a walk and return with five new friends, the boy must double everything. He now needs six sacks of food to feed the ten ducks, and eight bundles of hay for their nest. But he is confused as to how he can have four hands, until he also realizes that he must double himself-he needs a new friend, too. Murphy (The Grizzly Gazette, below, etc.) includes an afterword to help readers get the most from the concepts presented. The section includes activities to help youngsters learn the concept, suggestions for extending the learning, and a reading list of other books that deal with similar concepts. Petrone's (Uh-Oh!, not reviewed, etc.) illustrations are simple cartoons with bold colors; the subjects are kept large enough to draw and hold children's attention. Readers will delight in all the fun they're having on the farm while they're learning some new math. (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-7)

When his ducks double in number, a young cowboy needs twice as much hay to make the birds' nests, twice as many sacks to carry their food, and so on. While the story is bland, it's a serviceable introduction to the concept of doubling. Bright, exaggerated illustrations feature a freckle-faced cowpoke in an oversize Stetson and chubby ducks with extra-long bills. Related math activities are appended. From HORN BOOK Fall 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

When all the ducks bring home a friend, there's double the work and twice as much math. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.