Have You Seen My New Blue Socks?

“I have lost my new blue socks. Did I put them in my box?” Simple rhymes—including socks, box, fox, and ox!—spin the tale of a small duck who waddles through the countryside, forlornly searching for his blue socks. “I’m trying not to be depressed. / Without my socks I feel undressed.” Finally, a sharp-eyed peacock sees a bit of blue peeking out of duck’s lace-up shoes and the mini-mystery is solved! Soft-hued, adorable pen-and-ink and watercolor paintings adorn this winsome story that shares the familiar experience of not really losing something after all. |

"A great addition to the literature on ducks. . . or socks!"
—Kirkus, starred review

"Bunting and Ruzzier create a lightly surreal and emotionally benevloent landscape. . . . The book's gentle takeaway [is] reinforced by Ruzzier's signature offbeat aesthetic . . . and Bunting's solid, conversational rhymes."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Such angst over a pair of socks has never been conveyed so well. . . . A perfect book for the newest reader, especially one with a grand sense of humor."
—Horn Book, starred review

"This is a whimsical delight for children whose parents clamor for phonics-based books."
—School Library Journal, starred review

"Good fun."
—Booklist

“What makes this version particularly enjoyable are offbeat touches that mirror a preschooler’s precipitously escalated emotions. . . . Bunting and Ruzzier work together well, capturing preschool fears and uncertain sentiments but, in the end, making it all O.K.”
—The New York Times Online
“With its simple vocabulary and Seussian rhymes, this would be a fine choice for an emerging reader to read aloud.”
—The Wall Street Journal

"The sonorous, Seussian cadence of Bunting's rhyming text lends itself to reading aloud, but older beginning readers up to a few challenging vocabulary words might also successfully tackle this on their own, especially once they've heard it read a few times."
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books