Delightful story of a young boy by the name of Duckworth. Duckworth is building a toothpick castle in his room, when out of the closet comes a giant snake. Duckworth goes to his parents for help but they feel that he is a "difficult child" and ignore him. What follows is an adventure Involving Duckworth and the snake ( a cobra). The illustrations are perfect for the story. The clothing reminds you of Edwardian England, minimal color. The lines are clean and clear-cut.

I received this as a review copy and can't wait until my cousin gets older so I can read it to her ( )

Children are in for a treat as they learn that they might not be the only ones with difficult parents...and their parents might not be so difficult after all.

Duckworth is a difficult child. Or so, his parents believe. They even have a book to tell them how to deal with difficult children like Duckworth. All's well until strange noises come from Duckworth's wardrobe and a gigantic, huge snake slithers out. His parents attribute his claims of having a snake in his room to his over active imagination, aka being a difficult child. Although the book (they think) tells them how to deal with it, things get much worse for Duckworth.

These pages flip-flop the usual, wonderful parent setting found in picture books, and demonstrate how some kids feel completely misunderstood (and somewhat ignored). But in a slightly dark and humorous way. Duckworth hits the first page as a very normal kid. He's not mean. He's not disobedient. But his parents are a bit stuck in their own thoughts and ways. It's bitter-sweet, and as a parent, makes you want to give Duckworth a big hug.

While not a feel-good-read, this one will have kids giggling, gasping and wondering how Duckworth will make it (while having a few more giggles in between). Young listeners will connect with it...as every kid feels a bit ignored at one time or the other...but it also ends with humor and a bit of a self-confidence boost. (And a way to keep those snakes from sneaking out of the closet).

The illustrations are lovely but not quite as colorful and bright as many seen in picture books. It fits the stuffy atmosphere of Duckworth's world extremely well. There are small details filtered in, which young listeners will enjoy. And the snake is so big and bold...which might be saying more than what one first thinks. After hearing the tale, young listeners will grab this one on their own just to flip through the pictures and dive into the story. ( )