I Wish That I Had Duck Feet is an illustrated early reader by Dr. Seuss, built around a boy who imagines what life would be like with duck feet, deer antlers, a whale spout, an elephant’s trunk and other strange additions. The story uses rhyme, rhythm and repetition to make the fantasy easy to follow while also showing the practical problems behind each wish. Through its comic situations and B. Tobey’s lively illustrations, the book turns a playful list of impossible changes into a gentle question about self-acceptance, confidence and the wish to be different. It is part of the Green Back Books range, aimed at children beginning to read independently, and keeps the focus on simple language, visual humour and the child’s gradual discovery that being himself may be enough.
Author: Dr. Seuss
Publisher: HarperCollins
Year published: 2004
Number of pages: 64
Age range: 4–7