K-Gr 3 -- ln this picture book that can be read on many levels, baby Arnold is... dropped into a nest of newly-hatched ducklings. Mrs. Leda Duck teaches Arnold and his duck brothers how to walk, swim and fly.... This wonderful story is hilarious in parts -- Arnold can't swim like a duck, but he can manage a dog paddle; and poignant at times -- Leda thinks she hears her long-lost duckling, but, as a tear falls, sees only a boy. Illustrations are in complete harmony with the entertaining text: pictures of baby Arnold are especially appealing. Details of Arnold's life as a boy and as a duck are realistic. Gerstein has added a nice twist to the ugly duckling theme. This book is highly recommended both for reading aloud and for beginning readers.

Scooped from his rubber wading pool by a near-sighted pelican, then dropped when he begins to cry, Arnold lands in a nest of freshly hatched ducklings. ... Arnold's retraining as a human... is almost as funny as his education as a duck. In the droll, energetic pictures, he's lovable either way. A puff of fresh air.