ONE DUCK

One Duck (32 pp.; $18.95; $6.95 paper; Sept.; 1-55037-561-X; paper 1-55037-560-1): A mother duck nestles down in a field atop twelve eggs, a farmer fires up the tractor, ready for a day’s plowing, and the stage is set for a sudden, potentially tragic encounter. Hutchins (Believing Sophie, 1995, etc.) tells the tale in an abbreviated way that adds to the suspense; against hay-golden backgrounds, Ohi uses scribbles and short pen strokes to create contrasting textures. The farmer sees the nest in time, stops to move it out of the way, and is thereafter rewarded with the sight of mother leading twelve appealingly scruffy ducklings across the road to the pond. It’s a fleeting episode, engrossingly tense, laced with a little natural history, and finished off by a not entirely predictable outcome. (Picture book. 6-8)