The Quacken
The second picture book feature of July is here with… The Quacken by by Justin Colón (Author), Pablo Pino (Illustrator).
There was a lot of hype for this book as the publication date grew closer, and for good reason! From the official trailer (I’ll link below) to all the book swag given for pre-orders (I received mine!) this picture book was getting daily attention, which got my attention, and I knew I needed a copy! Just seeing the cover, I knew this book was right up my alley, with dark humor, wonderful illustrations, and a suspenseful story line.
At Cucumonga Campground, a creature lurks in the lake. Hector has heard the legend of how this creature can swallow kids, canoes, and even whole whales! He’s told not to feed the ducks, don’t even look at them! But, Hector sees cute, quacking ducks and breaks the rule, releasing… THE QUACKEN!
Check out the Official Trailer for this book (link from author’s twitter page): https://x.com/JustinRColon/status/1805964241977147563
After reading this story, I hope your kiddos enjoy these FREE printables below.
Have the kiddos review the sequence of events in this story by cutting and pasting the pictures in the correct order.
Copy and paste into a word document or download the printable here.
Since there are “OODLES of ducks” in this story, this printable has children find the matching sets of ducks and color them the same color.
Copy and paste into a word document or download the printable here.
In this word find, kids will words from the story.
Copy and paste into a word document or download the printable here.
If your child goes camping like they do in this story, use this printable for them to reflect on their favorite thing to do when camping.
Copy and paste into a word document or download the printable here.
As with every picture book, I also want to offer a fun hands-on activity as an extension of the book.
Make your own Quacken! There are LOTS of different duck crafts that are easy to find and follow online.
I chose this specific one as a “base”, because I liked the idea of making it a puppet. (I can picture the kids chasing each other around the house, pretending they are “The Quacken!” :) Kids can add their own specific details to make their Quacken look similar to the one in the story, by maybe adding brown hair or “angry” eyes, OR they can choose to make their Quacken look however they like! :)
Materials needed:
-Paper bag- If you can’t find yellow, I easily found white at my local Target store and kids can color them yellow.
-Orange paper for beak
-Markers
-Yellow paper muffin cups for wings (or cut out your own using paper)
-Googly eyes (or markers)
I hope your kiddos/students enjoy this story, The Quacken, the printables and craft!
Please considering purchasing this book using links above or checking it out at your local library. After reading this story, PLEASE leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. :)
Stay tuned for more Picture Books, Printables and Play!—OH MY!
