Lulu and the Duck in the Park

By Hilary McKay and Priscilla Lamont

Lulu rescues a duck egg and smuggles it into school for safekeeping
Lulu loves animals. When Lulu finds a duck egg that has rolled out of its nest, she takes it to class to keep it safe. Lulu isn’t allowed to bring pets to school. But she’s not really breaking the rules because it’s just an egg. Surely nothing bad will happen . . . A fun-filled new series for early readers and animal lovers alike.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Albert Whitman Company
• Release date: Mar 12, 2013
• ISBN: 9781480417083

Hilary McKay

Hilary McKay is the author of ‘The Exiles, the joint winner of the 1992 Guardian Children’s Fiction Award, and ‘The Exilesat Home which won the Smarties Prize in 1995.

Reviews for Lulu and the Duck in the Park

[ladyd_books · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A sweet story about a very smart young girl who has an enormous fondness for animals and a special friendship with her cousin Melanie who is always there to help and her dog, Sam. A conflict begins, during a class trip to the park, when two black dogs chase ducks and ruin nests but Lulu picks up the last blue duck egg and keeps it hidden with Melanie's help. The duckling hatches, you'll never guess where, along with a warm reunion assisted by the two girls and their teacher. I loved this book filled with beautiful illustrations, an introduction to many characters and of course, good-hearted Lulu!

[michelleleister · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lulu, who loves every sort of animal, tries to convince her teacher that their class guinea pig needs a companion. Unfortunately, her methods lead Mrs. Holiday to announce that if anyone brings another animal to school, she’ll trade their class pet for a stick insect. When their weekly visit to a nearby park ends in disaster (large dogs running wild and destroying ducks’ nests and eggs), Lulu catches the one remaining egg as it rolls downhill, and she pockets it. All through the school day, she protects the egg and keeps it warm, revealing her secret only to her best friend (and cousin), Mellie. When the egg begins to hatch, though, Lulu finds a powerful, if unexpected, ally.

[foggidawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lulu, a fervent animal lover, rescues a still-warm duck egg that rolls out of a nest during a class field trip to the park. Her teacher has strictly forbidden Lulu from bringing any more animals to school, but an egg is not an animal . . . right? This early chapter book is sweet and charming, though I didn't love it as much as McKay's Casson series. It fits right in with other early chapter books about precocious young girls like Clementine and Marty McGuire.

[brangwinn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

PSC Review: Third grader Lulu loves animals and often this love of animals gets her into trouble. On a trip through the park with her class, some dogs destroy the nests of ducks, breaking eggs and scattering the nesting ducks. Lulu finds a single egg that has not been broken. Fearful of what Mrs. Holiday will say Lulu manages to create a nest from a woolen hat and hide it and the egg under her sweater. Unable to keep the secret she shares the news with her best friend, Mellie. When Lulu hears the egg crack she easily manages to appear sick so she and Mellie can go to the bathroom where the egg hatches. Discovered by their exasperated teacher in the bathroom, the tiny duckling touches the heart of Mrs. Holiday and she and the girls take the duckling back to the park, where it is reunited with its mother. This is a fun story for early chapter book readers.

[rwilliamson_53 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lulu is famous throughout her neighborhood for her love of animals. Her teacher does not and Lulu is forbidden to bring any more animals to school. But a duck egg is not an animal is it? Lamont’s straightforward gray-tone illustrations show that Lulu is a regular, animal-loving child. The planned Lulu series will be a welcome addition to early chapter books featuring African American main characters. This review is based on an advanced reader’s copy from BEA 2012.

[bookwren · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Though written for young children, I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful and well-written short novel. Lulu is a well-rounded girl full of pluck and with a mind of her own. Witness her jumping off swings at their highest point; bruises and scrapes are worth the thrill. Lulu loves animals in an honest, not saccharine way. She believes they have as much right for respect as do humans. Counter this third-grader with her teacher, Mrs. Holiday, who barely tolerates animals, yet realizes their value for her students and allows her class to keep a guinea pig. Mrs. Holiday is a gem in other ways. She puts up with her students complaining about the way she reads "Harry Potter." According to the children, "Hagrid doesn't talk like that!" I love how she quiets them with "If you would like me to read a book that has not been made into a movie, I can do that very easily" and picks up the math text. The fact that Lulu goes to the library to find a book on ducks when she finds a duck egg warms this librarian's heart. The scene where Lulu and Mellie witness the egg's hatching in the bathroom is perfectly beautiful in language that is understandable to children, but never trite: "Lulu and Mellie forgot the classroom. They forgot Mrs. Holiday and Harry Potter. They sat on the cold bathroom floor with the hat nest between them, and for a long time all they said was: "Look!" and "Oh!" and "Did you see that?" Move over, Junie B. Jones; Lulu is here!