A game that all parents love to play with their young ones is what sounds animals make.

We all know that a cow goes MOO, and a dog goes WOOF, but a duck that says MEOW?

A young duckling is being taught the sounds by all the farmyard animals around her.

They are patient and show all their correct calls and sounds, but are confused by this tiny yellow duckling that says MEOW. It’s not until they follow this wee bundle of yellow fluff home to her mother – a cat!

This brightly coloured, rhyming picture book will be fun for a young child on a knee or a whole mat of preschoolers. Sounding out the animal calls will be familiar to them, but the duckling doesn’t quite fit the brief. THIS duckling says Meow, and your young listeners will see why.

Duck Goes Meow is based on a true story of a cat that adopts a few ducklings. I will say no more – watch the YouTube clip here to see something amazing.

Best Picture Book Winner at the 2023 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

Author – Juliette MacIver

Illustrator – Carla Martell

Picture Book

(2023, Scholastic NZ, Animals, Ducks, Farmyard, True Story, NZ Author, New Zealand Illustrator, UK story, English farm, Cat, Mothering)