An egg rolls into a duck’s nest: what Guji Guji teaches kids

What the story is about

While Mother Duck is busy reading, a strange egg rolls into her nest. The little one who hatches looks nothing like his brothers and sisters, but she names him Guji Guji, after the funny sound he makes, and loves him just the same. He swims, waddles and learns to say “quack” with everyone else.

Then one day three crocodiles show up and tell him: “You’re a crocodile. You should help us catch ducks.” Guji Guji looks at his reflection in the lake and, for the first time, sees what they see.

What we loved

Chih-Yuan Chen never spells out the answer. Guji Guji knows he is a crocodile, and he also knows he belongs to his duck family, so he finds his own clever way to protect them. Kids come away understanding that a family isn’t defined by how you look, but by love and the choices you make.

The pictures are warm, with just the right amount of white space, and the crocodiles’ faces are so funny that even three-year-olds laugh as they turn the pages. The text is short enough to read in one sitting, but every spread leaves room to stop and look.

It’s also a book that grows with repeat reads. The first time through, most kids are all about the crocodiles. Come back to it a few times and the quieter detail starts to stand out: Mother Duck never once asks Guji Guji to be anything other than himself.

Questions to talk about together

How is Guji Guji different from the other ducklings? How is he the same?
If you were Guji Guji, how would you feel when the crocodiles said that?
What does “family” mean to you? What makes our family special?

Who it’s for

Great for ages 3–6, and especially for families welcoming a new member, adoptive families, or kids who are starting to ask “Where did I come from?”

Read-aloud tip: Give Guji Guji his own little voice, and let your child do the “quack” every time it comes up. By the end, they’ll be telling the story back to you.