As they did in their earlier book, Tweak, Tweak, Bunting and Ruzzier work together well, capturing preschool fears and uncertain sentiments but, in the end, making it all O.K.

There’s something particularly upsetting about losing a brand-new possession, so it’s no wonder that Duck is feeling a little lost himself: “I’m trying not to be depressed./ Without my socks I feel undressed.” His friends—whose names also rhyme with “socks”—are sympathetic and offer tips (“I may have seen your new blue socks—/ I saw some socks down on the rocks,” says Mr. Ox). As in their 2011 collaboration, Tweak Tweak, Bunting and Ruzzier create a lightly surreal and emotionally benevolent landscape, this time introducing a hero who’s considerably more independent than the baby elephant from the earlier book. The book’s gentle takeaway—reinforced by Ruzzier’s signature offbeat aesthetic (Duck is colored soft green; Mr. Ox sits alone in a field, painting a landscape) and Bunting’s solid, conversational rhymes—is twofold. When you lose something, action is better than tantrum. And when someone you know loses something, respond with genuine helpfulness—and don’t make fun of them when it turns out that they were (ahem) wearing their beloved blue socks the entire time. Ages 4–8. Illustrator’s agent: George Nicholson, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Mar.)

"A great addition to the literature on ducks. . . or socks!"
—Kirkus, starred review

"Bunting and Ruzzier create a lightly surreal and emotionally benevloent landscape. . . . The book's gentle takeaway [is] reinforced by Ruzzier's signature offbeat aesthetic . . . and Bunting's solid, conversational rhymes."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Such angst over a pair of socks has never been conveyed so well. . . . A perfect book for the newest reader, especially one with a grand sense of humor."
—Horn Book, starred review

"This is a whimsical delight for children whose parents clamor for phonics-based books."
—School Library Journal, starred review

"Good fun."
—Booklist

“What makes this version particularly enjoyable are offbeat touches that mirror a preschooler’s precipitously escalated emotions. . . . Bunting and Ruzzier work together well, capturing preschool fears and uncertain sentiments but, in the end, making it all O.K.”
—The New York Times Online
“With its simple vocabulary and Seussian rhymes, this would be a fine choice for an emerging reader to read aloud.”
—The Wall Street Journal

"The sonorous, Seussian cadence of Bunting's rhyming text lends itself to reading aloud, but older beginning readers up to a few challenging vocabulary words might also successfully tackle this on their own, especially once they've heard it read a few times."
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books —

PreS-Gr 1—A small green duck has lost his new blue socks. He looks for them in his toy box and consults his friends the fox and the ox. He does not find them among other socks on the rocks, but his peacock friends help him find them. The short, repetitive rhyming sentences are a good fit for beginning readers, and the large trim size allows plenty of space for the watercolor and pencil illustrations to provide clues to solve the humorous mystery. This is a whimsical delight for children whose parents clamor for phonics-based books.—Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI

Where, oh where are Duck's new blue socks? Duck is quite sad over the loss of his new blue socks. "I know I put them somewhere near. / How could they simply disappear?" He searches his big box to no avail. He asks his friend Mr. Fox. Mr. Fox hasn't seen them, but he suggests rifling the big box and asking the ox. The ox hasn't seen them either, but he did see some socks on the rocks by the lake. Unfortunately, "[t]hese are socks, but they're not new. / They're more like purple, not like blue." Duck asks the peacocks if they've seen his socks, telling them everywhere he's looked and everyone he's asked…and the youngest peacock notices "…a touch of blue / underneath your laced-up shoe!" Bunting and Ruzzier (Tweak Tweak, 2011) reteam with excellent results. Bunting's lyrical rhyming, repeating text is only a few large words from early-reader territory: "I'm trying not to be depressed. / Without my socks I feel undressed." Storytime audiences will enjoy Duck's sock hunt, and lapsitters with sharp eyes can spot the gradual unraveling reveal of the new blue socks' location in Ruzzier's broad, cartoon watercolors. A great addition to the literature on ducks…or socks! (Picture book. 2-6)