Knock, Knock. Who's at the Door?

Duck at the Door
written and illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic
Laptime: preschool - early elementary
Story Circle: preschool - second grade



We live up north in an area where ducks really do fly south for the winter. I love to see the ducks and the geese fly away in the late fall and imagine that I might be winging my way to sunny warm places. In the spring it's always such a joy to see them return to the little lake near my home. Duck at the Door is the story of Max the duck who loved his summer home so much that he stayed behind thinking that he would love it in the winter, too. Luckily Irene and her animal friends were there to take him in. Max makes himself at home but has to learn all of the new skills that come with domestic life like using the remote control and learning to cook.
Duck at the Door is Jackie Urbanovic's first book as author and illustrator. This delightful story about making room for everyone that we love is accompanied by her charming and often laugh out loud funny illustrations. Other books in the Max series are Duck Soup and Duck and Cover.

Duck at the Door - Laptime Lesson Plan Ideas:
Learn something new: Max had to learn lots of new things to fit into his life at Irene's house.
What new skill can you learn together? How about a new recipe, a new song to sing or play, or a new game that you all can play together?

Duck at the Door - Story Circle Lesson Plan Ideas:
Play Duck, Duck, Max
Follow the same directions as the game Duck, Duck, Goose but say 'Max' instead of 'goose'.

• One player is chosen to be it
• The rest of the players sit cross legged in a circle
• "It" walks around the circle saying "duck" as he/she touches each player on the head
• When "It" taps a player on the head and says "Max", the tapped player must stand and chase "It" around the circle
• If "It" can reach the space that "Max" was sitting in and sits down before being tagged then "Max" is the new "It".
• If "Max" tags "It" then "It" sits in the middle of the circle, called the duck pond, and waits until a new player is tagged and has to sit in the middle.

Read about Migratory Birds: Check out these books
The Man Who Flies With Birds (Israel) by Carole G. Vogel and Yossi Leshem
On the Wing: American Birds in Migration by Carol Lerner
Life in an Estuary: The Chesapeake Bay (Ecoystems in Action) by Sally M. Walker


Look online at the Ducks Unlimited Migration Map.
This map shows the peak migration times for various months and places throughout the U.S.

Harper Collins Publishers 2007