Nobody’s Duck

For no apparent reason, an idiosyncratic duck takes up residence on a fussy alligator’s lawn. Ignoring Duck’s insistence that “I’m nobody’s duck!”, Alligator plops Duck into a toy wagon and heads to town to find a responsible party (“You must be somebody’s duck”). No one claims Duck, but the bird is far from dejected. In fact, each stop is an opportunity to treat Alligator to a new adventure, including story time at the library, a 3-D creature feature, and a skydiving lesson. It’s almost too much for the buttoned-up Alligator, but then it dawns on him: Duck is the companion he’s been looking for: “You are my duck!” For all of Duck’s goofiness and the ostensible shaggy dog plot, Sullivan’s broadly cartooned, all-dialogue story is an exquisitely constructed comedy, a twist on the unwelcome guest plot with not a single beat or visual joke out of place. Is it a lesson about being open to new people and experiences, or just silliness done right? Think of it as a twofer. Ages 4–7. Agent: Justin Rucker, Shannon Associates. (Feb.)