Just So Stories

Harper Collins Australia

April 2026

• Imprint: ABC Books AU
• ISBN: 9780733342059
• RRP: $16.99

Matt Stanton is a king of comedic writing and don’t we know it! And I’m going to be very frank here [no, not Frank – just Los] I really do think the Funny Kid books are great but it was always Duck who was the stand-out for me.

Nothing speaks more volumes to me than the stooge – the straight man, the comedic foil if you will, and that’s Duck, who was always destined for greatness in his own right. Now the time has come and it’s Duck’s turn to take the lead while chaos descends around him and it’s others who take on the foil role – with admirable aplomb.

In a twisted mystery worthy of any TV detective show [of which I have watched plenty] Duck, along with Mouse and Dog, is very suss of the swanky new coffee shop in town and its smarmy hipster owner. They may be a bunch of animals but this town needs them to kick some tail feathers and restore things to the status quo. So they are set on finding out exactly what the duckins is going on with this entire weird set-up.

Along the way, there are plenty more quirky characters and hilarious incidents that will have the readers in fits of laughter. To add some really excellent depth to the mix there are fascinating animal fallacies and facts interspersed and I would love to see what others the kids can research and compile.

It’s a quack-up! Webbed feet down a 5 🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆rating for this hoot of a book for readers from around Year 2 or 3 upwards.