Hello there! Today, we’re going to hear a fun story about a duck named Quackenstein. This story is called “Quackenstein Hatches a Family,” and it’s written by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen with pictures by Brian T. Jones. Let’s dive into the story!
In a dark corner of the zoo, there was a little house that looked quite gloomy. A sign outside said, “Keep out! Just leave me be! Signed, Quack.” Poor Quackenstein, the duck, lived all alone. He watched other animals with their families and felt sad because he had no one to snuggle with.
One day, Quack walked by the nursery where baby animals played and laughed. He felt even lonelier. But then, he saw a sign that said, “Orphaned eggs, homes needed.” Quack had an idea! He decided to adopt an egg and take care of it. He picked an egg and said, “I’ll adopt!”
Quack took the egg to his nest and kept it safe. He whispered, “Dear ducky-poo, you’ll never be neglected!” One stormy night, the egg started to crack. Quack was excited, but when the egg hatched, he was surprised! Instead of a duck, out came a creature with fur, claws, and a beaver’s tail!
Quack was scared and ran away, thinking he had hatched a monster. He hid behind logs and even bumped into some otters and hares. But the creature kept following him. Quack was so frightened!
Finally, the creature caught up with Quack and said, “Hello, Dad!” Quack was surprised but happy. The creature was a platypus, and it wanted to be with Quack. Quack’s heart melted, and he realized he had a new family. They walked together, happy to be father and son.
In the corner of the zoo, Quack and his new son, the platypus, made a happy home. They put up a sign that said, “Welcome to our happy home. Come by to visit us. Love, Quack and his son, Platypus.”
This story teaches us that families can be different and special. Quack felt lonely, but by adopting the platypus, he found happiness and love. It’s important to care for others, even if they look different from us.
Thank you for joining our storytime. Remember, there are many more stories to explore. Keep reading and discovering new adventures!
Create Your Own Family Story: Think about a time when you felt lonely and someone made you feel better. Draw a picture of that moment and write a short story about it. Share your story with your classmates and talk about how families and friends can be different but still make us happy.
Animal Adoption Role Play: Pretend you are Quackenstein and you are adopting an egg. What kind of animal do you hope will hatch from your egg? Draw a picture of the animal you imagine and give it a name. Discuss with your classmates how you would take care of your new animal friend and what makes your family special.
Family Observation Walk: Go on a walk with your family or friends and observe different families in nature, like birds with their chicks or ants working together. Talk about what you see and how each family works together. How are they similar or different from your family? Share your observations with the class.
Welcome to Storyline Online, brought to you by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. I’m Kristen Bell, and today I will be reading “Quackenstein Hatches a Family,” written by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and illustrated by Brian T. Jones.
In the darkest corner of the zoo, there stood a gloomy shack. A nearby sign read, “Keep out! Just leave me be! Signed, Quack.” Most creatures lived in packs and herds, but all alone there was poor Quackenstein, who grew bitter. He was the hermit of the zoo and faced a lonely struggle. “It isn’t fair! My nest is bare!” he lamented, as he had no one to snuggle.
One day, Quack passed the nursery where babies laughed and tumbled. “Everyone has someone, except for me,” he mumbled. He spied a small, secluded nook and, on impulse, proceeded. He bumped his head and saw a sign that read: “Orphaned eggs, homes needed.” Quack hatched a plan and crept ahead. This duck would not be stopped. On shaky legs, he chose an egg and cackled, “I’ll adopt!”
Quack set it on his empty nest and kept his prize protected. He gently cooed, “Dear ducky-poo, you’ll never be neglected!” Then, on one dark and stormy night, the hour arrived. Quack heard a crack—he stumbled back and shouted, “It’s alive!” Just then, a small beak broke the shell! Quack’s heart thumped in his chest, but then two paws with sharp claws thrust through and stabbed the nest.
“I’ve hatched… a monster! You’re no duck,” Quack screeched, going quite pale. The creature had fur and legs with spurs and some poor beaver’s tail. The creature lurched, and Quack gasped, “Stay back!” But the beast paid him no heed. Quack tried to hide and ran outside, alarmed and trembling.
Quack shrieked and dove behind some logs out on the water, but he got pushed and saw he’d smushed an angry romp of otters. Drenched, the poor duck ducked behind a mama heron reading. Her babies screamed, and the creature’s claws gleamed as it leered and kept proceeding. Quack shushed the rowdy heron hedge, but the birds just ran off in shock.
Quack rashly rushed and promptly crushed a hugging group of hares. “My fault!” Quack cried, but then he spied the monster’s chilling glare. So quickly, Quack hid in a cave, but there he’d made an error. A furry shape blocked his escape. “I’m trapped!” he screeched in terror. The thing then snarled, “Oh, there you are!” It stalked the trembling duck.
With sharp claws bared and shoulders squared, it leaped in with a growl! Its paws soon squeezed the cringing duck, and Quack thought, “This is bad!” His spirit broke when someone spoke—the thing said, “Hello, Dad!” Quack could feel his cold heart melt, and his stomach fluttered. “You chased me through the great big zoo to be with me?” he sputtered.
The creature beamed, “Yes, Daddy, yes!” Quack’s heart began to sing. “Come, son,” he squawked, and off they walked, in step, paw in wing. Then in the corner of the zoo that once housed Quackenstein, a space was cleared, and there appeared a shiny brand-new sign. “Welcome to our happy home. Come by to visit us. Love, Quack,” it read. Below, it said, “And his son, Platypus.”
The end.
I chose this book because I really like the rhyming and the language, but more importantly, I love that Quack felt lonely and decided to solve his problem by adopting one of the eggs that didn’t have a family. Even though he was initially scared because the platypus that came out of the egg looked different from him, he eventually realized that it was the perfect way to make a family for himself and that he needed the platypus just as much as the platypus needed him.
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