School Library Journal
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PreS-Gr 1-It's Valentine's Day on Farmer Brown's farm. Little Duck is getting ready for the big dance, decorating everything, and making valentines for everyone. Soon the guests arrive, with each species dancing with themselves. A little fox hears the revelry and makes her way to the party. While the other animals shrink in terror, Little Duck welcomes little fox, gives her a valentine, and they begin to dance together. Soon, all of the animals join in, grouped into interspecies couples, and enjoy themselves-until the cows come home. Lewin's trademark watercolor illustrations are in full force here. Her funny, expressive animals enhance the text, weaving in among the story as spot art, as well as single pages and spreads. When fox arrives, covered in hearts and streamers, she sits mournfully on the edge of the page, while across the gutter the rest of the animals recoil. As anthropomorphized as the animals are, they never speak, simply quack or yip, cleverly enhancing the story. Even the text is visual, with little fox's "yips" angling up the page as an enormous question. The economical text maximizes impact while giving the illustrations plenty of space to help tell the story. The textual simplicity and bright, clear visuals lend themselves well to storytimes and one-on-one reading, although the complexity of the pictures does invite more thorough contemplation. VERDICT A delightful holiday addition to the canon, sure to please librarians and patrons alike.-Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

PreS-Gr 2-Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin have created another winning down-home barnyard story just in time for Valentine's Day. Little Duck has been busy hanging streamers and making glittery valentines for all the guests to the annual Valentine's Day Dance. Chickens, pigs, and sheep all make an appearance, but the cows opted for a more formal fete and are out for the evening. Lively country fiddle music, spun by a duck DJ, fills the decorated barn, and chickens dance with chickens and each species does the same. However, an unexpected visitor yips a greeting, and the Little Fox is met with frightened silence. But he is warmly welcomed by an unafraid Little Duck so that "Everybody danced with everybody until the cows came home." Narrator Maurice England, a former long-haul trucker, gets the country twang just right, and the quacking sound effects combine with the rollicking. Adults will grin at the humorous text and children will giggle at the dancing barn animals. The cows, in tiaras and pearls, fresh from their fancy outing, will delight everyone, thanks to the hospitable Little Duck, who greets one and all. VERDICT With a seven-minute running time, this sweet story of inclusion will be a welcome addition to any Valentine's Day party.-Lonna Pierce, -MacArthur and Thomas Jefferson -Elementary School Libraries, Binghamton, NY © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Little Duck prepares for the Valentine's Day dance by decorating the barnyard with balloons, streamers, lights, and hearts; and by making valentines for all the chicken, pig, and sheep guests. When Little Fox follows the decorations to the party, Little Duck welcomes the unexpected visitor with her last valentine. Lewin's lively--and appropriately glitter-filled--watercolor illustrations sparkle, lifting up Cronin's kindhearted message of embracing difference. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly
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Little Duck has big plans for Valentine's Day in this exuberant addition to Cronin and Lewin's long-running series. Cronin has fun detailing Little Duck's preparations ("She tied balloons to... everything. She hung streamers from... everything"), as well as the social dynamics at the party ("The sheep headed right for the chips and salsa"). When a young fox shows up uninvited, the animals are startled, but Little Duck invites Little Fox in, and the party is all the better for it: animals that had been keeping to themselves on the dance floor start to mix it up. Lewin's watercolors are as expressive and playful as ever (though they are covered with an inordinate amount of glitter accents, even for Valentine's Day), and Cronin subtly passes along some sage advice: the best parties have an element of the unexpected. Ages 4-8. Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.