My Duck

When a teacher asks an imaginative girl to write a story, she draws a duck wearing blue socks and red shoes. ""Ducks don't wear shoes,"" says her teacher reprovingly. ""Go and start again!"" But once invented, the duck refuses to disappear. ""I told my duck that he couldn't possibly stay there because I was starting my story again. `But there is nowhere else to eat my lunch!' he told me, and carried on anyway."" Finally, on the girl's fourth try, the teacher notices neither the persistent duck nor the one-winged flying girl who also insists on remaining in the picture. ""Don't tell my teacher!"" the girl begs the reader. While presiding adults may not fancy the loutish teacher here, the book has an irresistible brio. British author/artist Linch's (This and That) bright cartoons, the duck's winsome expressions, the unexpected twists and turns, and the good-natured fun inherent in the several plots will recommend this book to readers. Ages 3-8. (Oct.)