Follow Me, Flo!

A duckling named Flo isn’t big on the status quo; she rejects the “certain things that all little duckies must do every day.” Daddy Duck knows he must keep his rebellious offspring close by when they embark on a trip together, so he makes up a song: “Follow me UP.../ Follow me DOWN...” But Flo doesn’t like following—or her father’s singing—so she comes up with a song of her own. She’s so entranced with her own ingenuity and independence that she loses sight of Daddy Duck and ends up at an amusement park, where she realizes there’s a hungry fox only too happy to follow her. Jarvis (Who Is Happy?) strikes a forthrightly sweet mood, with a singsong text that circles back on itself for a happy ending, and mixed-media paintings in a nursery palette of soft, textured pastels (exceptions are bright yellow Flo and the equally bright orange fox). The only ironic note is the side-eye Flo gives readers when her dad is singing; even the most well-behaved readers will relate. Ages 3–7. [em](Mar.) [/em]