Name: I Wish that I Had Duck Feet
ISBN: 9780007173136

Dr. Seuss

Barney Tobey

A boy imagines what it would be like if he had such things as duck feet, a whale spout, and an elephant's trunk.

I Wish that I Had Duck Feet

Sarah Sammis

I Wish That I Had Duck Feet by Dr. Seuss is a story I missed somehow as a child. My son introduced me to the book. He checked it out from the library and read it to me as part of his weekly free reading assignment for school.

The book centers on a young boy, probably about my son's age, who wants to change. He wants duck feet, or antlers or a whale spout among other alterations to his body. He thinks of all the wonderful things he could do with his new powers and then the problems he would have with them.

Things get out of hand with his imagination and soon he's the latest attraction at the zoo. Sean felt horrible for the boy when he's locked up with only hay to eat. It wasn't humane treatment for a boy with "monster powers" nor was it proper treatment for a monster.

The book is cute but not one of my favorites. I'm not keen on his boy having adventures or imaging amazing things types of books. I prefer his sillier books like Fox in Socks and Red Fish, Blue Fish, Old Fish, New Fish. The one execption to this rule is McElligot's Pool.