Duck Look Who’s Talking! (Duck, #1)
By Matt Stanton
Reviewed by Sandhya Parappukkaran
Matt Stanton is the award-winning author and illustrator of multiple best-selling book series for children including Funny Kid, The Odds, Bored and Fluff, and many excellent picture books. His books have won awards including the Koala Awards for Older Readers, and have been shortlisted for the Russell Prize – Humour Writing for Young People Award, and the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award.
‘Duck: Look Who’s Talking!’ is the first book in Stanton’s brand new series, a spinoff from the Funny Kid books. Fans of the Funny Kid series will have enjoyed seeing Max Walburt’s steadfast sidekick, Duck, being a genuine confidant, asserting his friendship on many momentous occasions, and quacking his way into readers’ hearts. But have you ever wondered what Duck is actually saying?
Duck has much to say in this first hilarious installment which features the animals of Red Hill and the spotlight is on Duck, Mouse and Dog. The animals have a bunch of opinions on humans and their way of living and their observations are spot on, extremely funny and sarcastic, guaranteed to keep any child or adult reading to the child turning the pages and bubbling with laughter.
I love the typography of the book – which is a stand out feature of Stanton’s books – the white space around the text, the spacing between the lines and font size are designed to invite a pleasurable reading experience for kids aged 6+. An added feature in ‘Duck: Look Who’s Talking!,’ is the inclusion of three panel comic strips breaking up the text on every page. A full page comic also appears at regular intervals throughout the book. This hybrid format makes the book appealing and accessible to all types of readers – developing and confident.
Stanton has shared in his videos on social media that kids can read through the comic strips by themselves as they are stand alone jokes but also add depth to the overall story. It is well worth checking out these nuggets of ‘behind the books’ information to understand how much thought goes into creating quality children’s books. ‘Duck: Look Who’s Talking!’ will no doubt be on repeat rotation to read at bedtime, but parents need not worry as there are jokes and references that will keep them chuckling and enjoying this book just as much as the kids.
Classroom resource
ABC Books AU 2026
Matt Stanton
Sandhya Parappukkaran is the author of award winning picture books including, The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name (Notable book, winner of the 2022 CBCA Book of the Year New Illustrator Award and a finalist in the QLD Premier’s Literary Awards), Amma’s Sari (2023 CBCA Notable book and a finalist in the 2023 NSW Premier’s Literary Award), Stay for Dinner (winner 2024 NSW Premier’s Multicultural Literary Award) and her latest, Words That Taste Like Home.
