"A joyous celebration of diversity and nurturing, this is a book to enliven story hours and one that children will want to share with friends and family." —School Library Journal (starred review)

In this adorable counting story brimming with unconditional love, a mother duck searching for her seven missing ducklings ends up collecting even more “babies” as she goes.

When a plump mother duck awakens one morning, she’s stunned to discover that her seven eggs have hatched in the night and all of her ducklings have wandered off. Now she has to search for them out in the wild! The mother duck keeps careful count as she discovers her babies one by one—on branches, stuck in ooze, and even in the jaws of a fox. Five, six, seven . . . eight? Nine? Sharp-eyed readers will love seeing the mother unwittingly rescue not only her own ducklings, but also an unusual flock of other creatures! Luckily, she has plenty of love to give! Annette LeBlanc Cate’s whimsical illustrations and natural rhymes make this tale of counting and family a sweet delight.