Marta Segal (Booklist, February 1, 2000 (Vol. 96, No. 11))
This beloved song about a Little White Duck "doing what he oughter" gets a modern update courtesy of vibrant collage illustrations. Each verse of the song is sung by a small, brown mouse troubadour who introduces the animals (a duck, frog, bug, and snake) and their actions on the pond. The animals have adorable, expressive faces, and children will enjoy shouting out the appropriate glugs, buzzes, and hisses. The illustrations are done in bright and beautiful shades of red, blue, and green, creating a fanciful pond. An artist's note in the front explains how the stunning three-dimensional effect of the collages was created. For those unfamiliar with the song, music for the first verse is included. Category: For the Young. 2000, Little, Brown, $13.95. Ages 4-8.

Candace Deisley (Children's Literature)
This song, copyright 1950 (renewed 1978), hums itself in the head of this reviewer! Burl Ives singing is what I remember, and it pleases me greatly to share this treasure with children and to keep the song alive. The illustrations are wonderful, complementing the song with humor, and reminding the reader of Carle and Ehlert. The collages "are a combination of cut paper, watercolor, crayon, and pastel. Watercolor washes along with crayon and pastel line were applied to textured and/or colored papers, which were then cut and layered to create a three-dimensional effect." The melody is given for the song, and guitar (autoharp) chords make this a natural for storytime for pre-schoolers through second grade. The song tells of the duck, "doing what he oughter," who took a bite of a lily pad, and set off a chain of events that left the narrator alone, singing "Boo! Hoo! Hoo!" 2000, Little Brown, $13.95. Ages 2 to 7.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2000 (Vol. 68, No. 8))
This favorite song, written in the 1950s, has been a kid-pleaser for generations, thanks to such song stylists as Danny Kaye, Burl Ives, and more recently, Raffi. It comes as no surprise, then, to find that the real news is the gorgeous new illustrations offered in an oversized format by the creator of other brightly appealing books such as "What's That Sound, Woolly Bear? "(1996). Luscious collages in shimmery blues and greens, the lovely pink of the lily pad and the brilliant red of the snake fill the pages. Watercolor washes applied to textured or colored paper create a three-dimensional effect that has one almost reaching out to stroke the duck's feathers. Set out as a playlet, the actors are introduced on the title page, and then the curtain opens. Readers follow the action and can sing along with the guitar-strumming river-rat narrator. They can quack along with the little white duck, glug with the little green frog (not so little here), buzz with the little black bug or hiss with the little red snake, the villain of the piece. This is a truly spectacular undertaking that deserves a wide audience. Bravo. 2000, Little Brown, $13.95. Category: Picture book. Ages 4 to 8. Starred Review. © 2000 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Elizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, May 2000 (Vol. 53, No. 9))
This children’s song marks its fiftieth anniversary this year, and Paley provides collage illustrations to entice a new generation to sing (quack, buzz, etc.) along. A little brown mouse draws open the stage curtain on the music and lyrics, and the performers--duck, frog, bug, and snake--enter from the wings. Mouse strums a guitar while the cut-paper players respectively do what they “oughter” in the marbleized tissue water, floating and swimming and tickling and, most importantly, gulping the little black bug down whole. Lest younger and more sensitive viewers take the bug’s demise and the “Boo Hoo Hoo” ending too seriously, all the actors reappear for a final bow while the animal audience shouts “Bravo.” Shapes are large and simple, and although the green of the frog and the lily pad frequently blend right into the blue-green pond, varied paper textures provide enough contrast to keep them from getting lost. If Mom and Dad aren’t musically inclined to a singalong, ask Grandma or Grandpa. Bet they’ll remember. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2000, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2000, Little, 32p, $13.95. Ages 1-4 yrs.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2000)
A brown mouse sings the familiar cumulative song about the little white duck ("Quack! Quack! Quack!"), little green frog ("Glug! Glug! Glug!"), and little black bug ("Bzz! Buzz! Bzz!") who coexist peacefully "doing what they oughter" in a pond until the little red snake scares them all away. Large, vibrantly colored paper collage makes this a good group read-and-sing-aloud. Music with guitar chords appears at the beginning of the book. Category: Nonfiction-The Arts. 2000, Little, 32pp, $13.95. Ages 2 to 5. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.

Vickie Stephenson (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 13, No. 1))
LITTLE WHITE DUCK begins with the original score of the song. The story content continues with a mouse "narrator" and colorful, delightful pictures of the different animals singing along in the pond. The "active" illustrations are accompanied by bold words of each animal "singing" along with the "narrator." Words such as "glug, quack, and buzz" are introduced. The concepts of rhyme, colors, and very active animals could be used to expand many applications, especially vocabulary. LITTLE WHITE DUCK will be enjoyed in story and song by many children. n/a. 2000, Little Brown, Unpaged, $13.95.