Quack and Daisy & Quack and Daisy: Beyond the Meadow
Author and Illustrator: Aileen Stewart
Published September, 2015 & April, 2016 by Tate Publishing, Children’s Division
Quack and Daisy Summary: Quack the Duckling and Daisy the Kitten meet for the first time in the meadow and instantly become the best of friends.
Can two such unlikely friends stay friends when everyone else tells them it’s impossible? Will Daisy’s failure to swim and Quack’s inability to catch a mouse cause them to give up on each other? Or will their friendship survive? Find out in this fun new adventure!
Quack and Daisy: Beyond the Meadow Summary: Quack the duckling and Daisy the kitten are best friends who spend most days playing in the meadow. One day, Quack decides to tell Daisy a secret. She tells her of Mama Duck’s ominous warnings to not go beyond the meadow. Will the two friends heed Mama’s words about the dangers beyond the meadow, or will their curiosity get the better of them?
Review: Quack and Daisy’s story looks at friendship as something that completes you and makes you happy instead of something that others mandate and define. I think this is such an important lesson for young readers because too often they have to be friends with who their parents or siblings or other friends say they should be friends with. But Quack and Daisy ignore all that and find happiness with each other. Their story isn’t just one big lesson though–it is a story of a friendship and an adventure that two friends have. I also really love Aileen Stewart’s illustrations. They are so colorful and friendly and really brings the story to life.
Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Quack and Daisy are a great opportunity to discuss comparing and contrasting. Daisy and Quck are so different on the surface, but if you look deep down, they are both adventurous, curious, and kind. If you check out the activity guide on the author’s website (http://aileenw4bobbyg.tripod.com/webonmediacontents/Workbook.pdf) it contains and similarities/differences activity. The guide also includes an activity about the meadow and a maze.
Something I think is really special is that each of these books comes with a complimentary audiobook. This is a wonderful resource for teachers to use with students in a reading station or as a whole class read.
Discussion Questions:
- How are Quack and Daisy similar? Different?
- Everyone said the two friends shouldn’t be friends–do you agree or disagree? Explain.
- Why did Quack’s and Daisy’s parents not want them to go beyond the meadow?
- Quack and Daisy feel like they can only be their true selves and friends in the meadow–is this how is should be? Explain.
- How did Daisy use problem solving to save Quack?
Flagged Passages:
“The two friends headed through the meadow. As they reached the edge of the pond, Quack’s bother, Puddles, swam up. He looked at Daisy and frowned. ‘Who’s that?’
‘This is my friend Daisy. She lives in the red barn on the hill.’
Puddles continued to frown. ‘You can’t be friends with her. She’s not a duck. I bet she can’t even swim.'”
Read This If You Love: Little Elliott by Mike Curato, Hattie and Hudson by Chris Van Dusen, The Monster Next Door by David Soman, and other stories with unlikely friends
Recommended For:
Thanks so much for your extremely kind review, Kellee. Just an update for your readers, my publisher closed their doors in January, so audio downloads are no longer available. The books are still available on Amazon,however, now they are self published by me through Ingram Sparks. Quack and Daisy can be found at http://a.co/fZ8H50c and Quack and Daisy Beyond can be found at http://a.co/ic1KGuT or they can be ordered through my site http://www.funwithaileen.com