Waddles

By David McPhail

The New York Times–bestselling illustrator of Budgie & Boo presents a cuddly raccoon in a tender tale of love and friendship.

Waddles the raccoon loves to eat. In fact, he eats so much that his usual walk has turned into a waddle! He also loves to spend time with his best friend, Emily the duck. One day, Emily asks Waddles to sit on her unhatched eggs so she can go for a swim, and the very cuddly Waddles is happy to help. But he gets a big surprise when the ducklings begin to hatch!

Waddles soon finds himself very attached to the new family of ducklings, so when it’s time for them to fly south for the winter, Waddles wonders if he will ever see his friends again . . .

Tenderly crafted and illustrated, Waddles introduces readers to a delightful new character who learns that love and friendship are the only things that make someone truly “full.”

Praise for Waddles

“McPhail celebrates interspecies camaraderie in another picture book divided into four short chapters. . . . McPhail’s ink-and-watercolor illustrations elevate the familiar story of mismatched, devoted friends, coaxing expertly drawn emotion from his endearing characters. A tender, year-round reminder of the sustaining power of friendship.” —Booklist

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Oct 7, 2013
• ISBN: 9781613120927

David McPhail

DAVID McPHAIL is the creator of dozens of wonderful books, including Big Brown Bear’s Up and Down Day, Sisters and Mole Music, which was named a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year.

Book preview

Reviews for Waddles

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A plump little raccoon named Waddles enjoys his life by the pond, digging in the nearby trashcan for food and playing with his best friend, Emily the duck. When Emily asks him to look after her eggs for a minute, while she takes a dip, Waddles agrees, and is there for the key moment when her ducklings hatch. Now part of a large family, our procyonine hero is immensely happy. Until, that is, autumn comes and the ducklings must fly south. Will Waddles ever see his adoptive family again...?Although there is never much doubt that this sweet animal story will end well, young children will undoubtedly still enjoy seeing Waddles get his well-deserved happy reunion. A gentle tale, one divided into four sections that correspond to the four seasons, Waddles pairs a heartwarming story with cute-as-a-button illustrations. McPhail's artwork here is quite expressive, capturing its eponymous hero's changing emotional state quite well. Recommended to young animal lovers, and to anyone looking for picture-books about raccoons, ducks, friendship, and/or the seasons.

[ccanizales-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a good book. It is about a raccoon named Waddles whose best friend is a duck named Emily. Waddles is always around Emily that he even waddles like a duck when he walks. Emily always accompanies Waddles to find his food. One day Emily tells Waddles that she cannot go with him because she has laid her eggs and has to keep them warm. Waddles volunteers to watch the eggs while Emily goes for a swim. The eggs happen to hatch while in Waddles's care. As time goes by, Waddles becomes attached to the ducklings. When winter comes around, Emily and the ducklings have to fly south. Waddles becomes sad since his friends aren't around. Once winter has passed, they fly back home. Once again, Waddles is happy. I'd like to think that the theme of the story is trust. We never see a raccoon warming a duck's eggs. Here, the duck has trust in the raccoon and therefore accepts the raccoon's offer to care for the eggs.I would recommend this book for ages 4-8. This would be a good book to incorporate with teaching about bird migration