I Got You a Present!

Speaking in second person and addressing the reader, the narrating duck explains that it’s the reader’s birthday, and Duck has been busy searching for the perfect birthday gift. “Something amazing. Something unexpected. Something that you would really love.” But when hand knit socks end in a tangled mess, the magic kit magically disappears, and stranded martians need the rocketship, Duck’s head hangs low in defeat, until surprising readers with this very book, containing all of their favorite things: “birthday socks,” “dinosaurs,” and “friendly martians.” Best of all, the gift can be enjoyed again and again. Erskine-Kellie and McLennan’s clever text cues each upcoming gift idea—“I got you something totally chill” precedes ice cream, while “an idea that would really blow you away” foreshadows an “apple-juice fueled jet pack”—and includes witty laughs, like when Duck explains why a dinosaur for a present didn’t pan out: “Have you ever looked for a dinosaur?” I couldn’t find one anywhere.” Atkinson’s skillful artwork, which was rendered in “cake icing, gorilla vanilla ice cream and Photoshop,” make everything delightfully silly. Duck’s facial expressions are varied and expressive, and the details throughout show Atkinson had a good time with this one: “Some Assembly Required,” informs a note on the rocket ship box, which was on sale for “10% off.”