Hello, friends! Our book today is Henry’s Lollipops by Robert Quackenbush, a silly fable of a sickly duck and his unusual remedies.

In this reprint of Quackenbush’s 1975 title Too Many Lollipops, readers are quickly introduced to Henry Duck, who is having a rough week. On Sunday, he wakes up with a terrible headache, and contacts his doctor for advice. The doctor tells him to wear a woolen bonnet, to rest, and to eat lots of lollipops. As the week continues, Henry’s luck gets worse and worse, developing a sore throat, smashing a wingtip, and crushing his foot, among other injuries. Each time, the doctor recommends a wooly accessory, more rest, and more lollipops, much to the surprise of Henry’s curious woodland neighbors. At last, after a week of the worst medical advice imaginable, will Henry have any improvement to show for his convalescence… or will he just have a tummyache?

Pure silliness. Readers looking for intricate subtext or a deep message will not find it in this title from the Henry Duck series; this is simply a ridiculous tale of poor medical advice and the perils of too much sugar. However, for those looking for a purely entertaining read, this may fit the bill. We really enjoyed the goofiness of the plot, especially the repetition of call-and-response text that allowed for an interactive “conversation” between adult and child readers. The art definitely shows its era, but has aged relatively well, with over-saturated colors adding to the chaos of action scenes. The length is fine for a storytime, and we really enjoyed reading this one together. Overall, this was a fun, light read, and worth checking out – Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)