Dilly Duck Plans a Parade written by Holly DiBella-McCarthy and illustrated brilliantly by Pradyut Chatterjee is a delightful, colorful tale intended for preschoolers. Dilly (a girl Mallard) wakes up Billy Beaver to recruit him to help her with her flamboyant parade. He is hesitant because he does not feel qualified to assist due to his color blindness (sees only browns). But Dilly is not dissuaded and uses her charming persuasive powers to convince him to help out. There are other ways than eyesight to determine colors, she argues. Thus, the story proceeds as items are gathered among plants and creatures, and the final procession is just as colorful as one can imagine, showing young readers a smorgasbord of hues taken from nature. After sharing this wonderful book with a child, one can imagine taking a walk around the neighborhood and pointing out the wondrous colors and creatures in the book. Author DiBella-McCarthy explains that the book intends to develop “pre-reading rhyming, sight word, comprehension skills, color identification, sense and sensation awareness, creativity, and compassion.”

I do not know if my great-grandson developed all these skills after sharing the screen of this book as I read it to him, but I do know that he enjoyed it immensely. Brandon is my four-year-old guide for reviewing books for kids. In particular, he delighted in Mr. Chatterjee’s magnificent illustrations. But I knew (after our third go-through; he wanted more) that he was learning the names of colors and of animals. The rhyming was clever, and Brandon picked up a few new words: flock, gushed, croak, and afloat among others. The book also includes questions for readers, facts about the plants and creatures (especially beavers), and downloadable activities. Dilly Duck Plans a Parade by Holly DiBella-McCarthy is a delightful teaching tool as well as a wonderful story about uniting a diverse population. Brandon wanted to give it more than five stars, but alas, five is tops.

In Dilly Duck Plans A Parade by Holly DiBella-McCarthy, we are introduced to a colorblind beaver named Billy. Dilly Duck wants to have a magnificent parade full of many colors but needs help. When Dilly asks Billy to help, the beaver isn’t too sure because he is colorblind and would have a difficult time finding the colorful things needed to make their float. He tells Dilly that if they needed to chop wood he would be a great help, but not when it comes to creating a colorful parade for the little ducklings. Dilly believed that this wouldn’t be a problem and that Billy had other skills that would help just fine. After convincing Billy, they set out to look for what they needed. Using his nose, the beaver brought back the most beautiful flowers. He then found other animals that were bright using only his paws. The parade came together fabulously and the ducklings had a great time.

I thought this children's book was such an adorable read. Being someone who also has limitations, I can kind of relate to Billy. I like how he could still help put together a really cool parade. Dilly Duck Plans A Parade by Holly DiBella-McCarthy teaches young readers that being different isn’t a bad thing and that just because you have trouble with some things, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have anything of equal value to bring to the table, so to speak. Billy learned that even though he was colorblind, he had other talents and skills that helped just as much. In addition, I also really liked the artwork. It complements the plot and action perfectly. Overall, this is a great read that I feel youngsters will love.

Dilly Duck Plans a Parade is a beautifully illustrated, entertaining, and educational book that young readers will love! Dilly Duck, who is incredibly adorable, enlists Billy Beaver’s help to gather colorful items for a parade. Billy does not feel confident that he can help and offers doing other things for the parade. Dilly insists that he is capable of anything and encourages Billy to use his many strengths that he may not have realized he had to find colorful things. Billy succeeds tremendously, and they have a successful parade with their friends.

This was not only a great story line for kids, but the rhyming and sound effects create a captivating flow that would be perfect for any story time! The details in the story’s plot also encourage kids to study the illustrations carefully to follow along. I also learned a lot of fun facts about beavers! This book has it all-an empowering story of friendship and realizing self worth with great illustrations!