My Brother the Duck

The self-proclaimed bird scientist Stella Wells has a sneaking suspicion that her soon-to-be baby brother is a duck. Research is necessary to prove any hypothesis, so Stella gets to work observing and studying her new brother, Drake (which is another term for a male duck—coincidence?). After seeing his yellow-toned skin (a clever allusion to jaundice) and hearing his squawking, Stella turns to her friend Carla, a fellow kid scientist, who prompts for further research and the an expert’s opinion. Principal Kowalski confirms their research saying, “If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, it’s probably a duck.” With that confirmation, Stella heads home and notices her brother looks pretty normal, after all (especially without his duck-themed blanket wrapped around him). Wiseman’s illustrations are bright, bold, and decorated with additional funny details, like dad’s farmer’s tan on the last page, the parenting books on top of the hospital bag, and the many ducks adorning the pages. Miller cleverly uses puns and references within the text to add personality and silliness to the story while promoting girls in science with characters Stella and Carla. While the story lacks notable moments, this punny, cute take on the scientific method (while playing on different aspects of babyhood) is both enjoyable and entertaining.