In this tale for young children, the author explores the drama of an injured baby duck. The mother duck built a nest on a shed. A teen boy watched the process and then got up on a ladder to see that there were five little eggs. He was worried about them later that night because of a thunderstorm. Would the mother duck and her eggs be all right? The next day he found a tiny baby duck with a broken toe and a cut knee who had fallen out of the nest. Seeing that the mother duck couldn’t take care of the baby, the boy began caring for the duck, which he named Bing. He nursed Bing back to health and eventually returned the duckling to its family. The next year, Bing and his human friend were reunited, and they knew that they would be forever friends.

This is a sweet story about the relationship between animals and humans. It is best suited for very young children as it is a simple short story with nice illustrations. It will hold the child’s interest and imagination with both the rhyming technique and the art. It is a nice example of early teaching about love and compassion, the value of animals in our world, and how humans can demonstrate goodness through caring behaviors. At times, the writing rhymes, but sometimes this comes out awkwardly, which may initially be a distraction for the adult reader, although probably not for the child. Overall, the author has crafted a cute story that will likely bring more than one smile to the faces of its listeners.

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