Dennis Goes Home

In this third picture book about little duckling Dennis and his small sister Donna, we see the two children (ducklings) being returned to their parents in the pond that has always been home.  They have been fostered by some river ducks, and when Annie (their social worker duck) and the other ‘grown-ups’ decide that their parents have learned how to look after them properly, they are able to have home visits and ultimately move back.  The concepts are simple as befits a book for very young children, and the explanations say all that needs to be said.  We see they are sad at leaving their foster carers, but excited, too, about returning home, and there is every hope of a happy ending.  The point is made that the children are always listened to, and that Annie will be around to see to it that the parents don’t ‘forget’ how to look after their little ones.  For foster carers and social workers, this series of stories is an excellent way to explain basics to children who are too young to understand the whys and wherefores of their dilemma, and they will respond happily to the simple, bright illustrations of ducks and bugs and flowers.  For its purpose, this could not be better.