Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Fun bath-time book shows lots of ways to get clean.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In CLICK, CLACK, SURPRISE!, it's Little Duck's birthday and all the barnyard animals are getting cleaned up for the birthday party in different ways. The duck "rub-a-dubs" in the tub, the cat "slurp-a-lurps" with her tongue, the chickens "shimmy and shake" in a dust bath, and the pigs "squish and squash" in the mud. Little Duck imitates each one, even the chickens and pigs, which means she shows up to the party at the maple tree all dirty (that's the surprise). Farmer Brown brings a cake he baked for her and everyone sings, "Happy Birthday to ... ewww!"
Is It Any Good?
This cute installment shows how different animals get clean, making it a fun bath-time book with a birthday twist. Click, Clack, Surprise! breaks out of the pattern of the animals fooling or rebelling against Farmer Brown with a simple story of a little one imitating others and ending up covered in dust and mud for her big party. Betsy Lewin's engaging cartoon-like illustrations add lots of humor and familiar characters.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Click, Clack, Surprise! is different from the other books in the series. Is it just as fun when the story's not about the animals tricking Farmer Brown?
Who's your favorite animal in this series? Why?
Why do we get cleaned up before going to a birthday party?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Betsy Lewin
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Animals
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
- Publication date : September 6, 2016
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 40
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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