The Ducky Friends Series is a wonderful set of children’s books dedicated to teaching social skills.
The sequence of the series follows the natural progression of social skills development and is aimed at 4 to 8 year-olds.
These beautifully-illustrated stories with their many endearing animal characters are sure to please even the pickiest readers!
I’ll begin by describing each of the three books in the series and then tell you why I like them so much.
Book Series Info: The Ducky Friends Series by Patricia Bardina, Joanne Burgess & Paul Sharp was published between 2018 and 2024 by Gatekeeper Press and is available from all good booksellers, including Amazon.
JOVI GIRAFFE LEARNS TO LOOK:
As the title says, this first book is all about learning to make eye contact.
Jovi Giraffe is sad that he can’t seem to make any friends.
It’s not until he meets up with the wise and patient Limbani Lion, who explains the importance of looking into other animals’ eyes, that Jovi finally figures out how to make some friends.
REVONY RHINOCEROS STARTS TO SMILE
In this charming story, Revony goes to a friend’s birthday party where she doesn’t know anyone else.
Since she’s very nervous she ends up standing away from the other animals with a frown on her face.
Later, Revony’s mom explains to her the meaning of body language and the importance of a friendly smile.
After playing a game where Revony and her mom talk about the body language and possible feelings of other animals, Revony takes her new-found skills and quickly makes new friends.
BADI BLESBOK SAYS HELLO:
In this last book of the Ducky Friends series, Badi learns all about the different ways of saying hello.
It’s his first day of school and he’s very nervous. After two of his friends ignore him he’s upset and is rude to Jovi.
Badi’s mother reminds him that he needs to be polite and say a friendly hello to the other animals.
Badi then makes a point of watching all the different ways the various animals greet each other. Once in the classroom he practices his newly learned greetings and is happily surprised at how easy it is to be polite and how good it makes everyone feel.
MY THOUGHTS:
I really enjoyed these wonderful books for a variety of reasons. Paul Sharp did an excellent job creating colourful and engaging illustrations. I especially love that the characters are large, simple, and very expressive, which makes it easy for children to understand their emotions and actions.
The backgrounds are uncluttered, keeping the focus on the animals and the story itself, which helps reduce distractions—especially important for neurodivergent children, including those on the autism spectrum.
Throughout the books, the authors share small but meaningful bits of information about the country of Namibia, where all the stories take place. They even introduce a few words in the Oshiwambo language, which adds a layer of cultural richness.
Each story includes a short song that can be accessed through QR codes. How fun is that? It’s special touches like these that help make reading experiences more interactive and memorable.
The stories teach important social and emotional skills that many children often struggle with, but what I appreciate most is how the skills build gradually from book to book. For example, the character Jovi continues to practice making eye contact, showing that learning is a process and requires practice.
It’s also worth noting that both authors have professional training relevant to child development and education, which is reflected in the thoughtful way the books are structured.
Lastly, I love how the books highlight endangered and vulnerable African species, adding an element of environmental awareness that gently encourages compassion and curiosity about the natural world.
I highly recommend these books!
STORY EXTENSIONS:
ONE: You can listen to an extended version of Revony’s song on the authors’ website. It’s super cute so be sure to check it out.
TWO: On the same website there are also three very detailed pdfs you can download with discussion questions for each book.
THREE: And be sure to visit their Fun Facts page, as well. Here’s the link the facts about blesboks.
FOUR: You probably already know that I make and sell all sorts of paper bag puppet templates meant to enrich and expand classroom learning through play. I currently have a lion that could represent Limbani, a squirrel for Simi, a giraffe for Jovi, and an elephant for Mr. Elephant the teacher.
I just added a baboon puppet to the store and plan on making a rhino, flamingo, and possibly a blesbok. I’ll update this post as I get them made.
Click on the images below to see them in my store.
Happy Reading and thanks for stopping by!
P.S. If you’re looking for more books with a social/emotional theme I have lots!
