Farmer Duck

Product Information

This was another book that I read with the Reception class I worked with during SEB as one of their core texts. The duck soon gets fed up with this and rally's all his farmyard friends together to think of a plan. This story was used over a two week period (Unit 3 - Recounts) and the children seemed as engrossed in it by the end of the unit as they were at the beginning.

This picture book has fantastic illustrations which are used to tell the story of a lazy farmer and his duck. Created in collaboration with Walker Books, this engaging Farmer Duck Comprehension focuses on the first page of the story when the lazy farmer and hard-working duck are introduced.The illustrations by Helen Oxenbury are as integral to the story as the words and convey so beautifully the humour of Waddells story and touching affection of ducks friends that make this a book that children will want you to read again and again. The story is about a hard working duck that does all the chores on the farm while the lazy farmer lies in bed scoffing chocolate. The values of teamwork and friendship are evident throughout the story and can be highlighted and discussed by children. The colourful mat includes a range of beautiful illustrations and a short extract from the book to engage learners. I really enjoyed using this book within my class and we extended the knowledge of the character to informal letter writing which the class really enjoyed.

He works hard on a farm all day and all night, while the lazy farmer lies in bed and eats chocolate. It is easy to see why this book is sometimes referred to as 'The Communist Manifesto for children' as it highlights the ideal of people working together to achieve more than they can on their own. You can use these resources alongside Martin Waddell’s classic children’s book to teach your children about farming.This book would suit children aged between three and eight as it allows children of the younger age to join in with the story ringing out the melodic chorus’ while allowing the older children to practice their readings. This is a great book to read to KS1 pupils as it has a large amount of repetition in terms of lines but also animal noises. We read stories every night before bedtime in Polish and English but I think Leah prefers when I read in Polish, as she has story time at school every day when she can listen in English.

Farmer Duck is a short story about a hard-working, loyal duck whose good nature is taken advantage of by a very lazy farmer. In Year1/2 children can study the importance of story structure in this book - the introduction, the middle and the end.

gets too much for duck, his friends the cow, sheep and hens, who love duck very much, have a meeting with all the other farm animals to find a solution to ease poor ducks plight and rid themselves of the lazy farmer. A perfect picture book with a spare and clever text combined with Helen Oxenbury’s superlatively comic pictures and mood-filled landscapes. They might enjoy using some phrases from the book or inventing new parts of the story to add to the fun. The farm animals are very fond of the duck, and outraged by the farmer’s behaviour, so they hatch a plan. They are an integral part of the story and they also express the strong affection that the ducks friends have for him.

However, by the end of the story the lazy farmer gets his commupence when the other farm animals decide to teach him a lesson! Through reading this story, children will learn how working with friends and helping friends out is the right thing to do. This story could also be used during a circle time perhaps to encourage the children to think about being a good friend and the sorts of qualities you would expect to find in a good friend. The illustrations in the book are also beautiful and children will thoroughly enjoy looking at the pictures.They could work together or individually to sequence the cards and use them to support retelling the story. It may not be commonly recognised by children that a duck is female; but unless this is appreciated the feminist message of this picture book will be lost. Young children can join in and it could also be a fantastic tool for circle time: talk about emotions, team work, hard work etc.