Out of the river and onto the track – there is a monster on the loose – and he comes with a pattery pat and a quack quack quack.
So begins this delightfully illustrated rhyming tale. This little yellow duckling is out to cause trouble, pestering a mouse, a spider, and beetle, and finally a dragonfly, who takes him on a wild chase. As he chases the dragonfly through jars of paint sitting on the ground, a pile of leaves, a patch of flowers, little Zachary Quack doesn’t seem to notice that he’s picking up bits and pieces along the way. Sticky with paint and with a baby shoe on his head, Zachary has turned into a minimonster! This gutsy little duckling frightens everyone he sees. Watch out for the appearance of Hairy Maclary and his friends in the pictures, looking very worried!
The books of Lynley Dodd have been staples of New Zealand children’s fiction since the 1980s with her unforgettable Hairy Maclary stories. The playful Zachary Quack first appeared in Hairy Maclary and Zachary Quack (1999). This reprint of Zachary Quack, Minimonster is very welcome, and has everything that makes Dodd’s books so unique and timeless. It’s hard not to crack a smile at the little duckling, and the jaunty and upbeat rhyme. It is a perfect read-aloud, with the right amount of mischief.
Reviewer: Susannah Whaley
Puffin, RRP $17.99