New Children’s Book Series ‘Ducky Friends’ Teaches Children Social Skills

Ducky Friends is a new children's book series dedicated to teaching social skills through beautifully-illustrated stories with endearing animal characters.

​The sequence of the series follows the natural progression of social skills development. The first book, Jovi Giraffe Learns To Look, starts with eye contact. The second book, Revony Rhinoceros Starts to Smile, introduces the concept of friendly body language.

Jovi Giraffe is well-liked but has trouble making friends. He needs help learning the importance of eye contact. With the help of Limbani Lion, he learns why eye contact is an essential social skill and is excited to use this skill to make new friends.

An engaging story for children aged three to eight, Jovi Giraffe Learns To Look introduces readers to the Ducky Friends Social Skills Book Series.

Meant for children between the ages of 4 and 8, Revony Rhinoceros Starts to Smile explains the importance of friendly body language when making friends. Revony Rhinoceros wants to play, but none of the other animals notice her. She doesn't know what to do until one day her mother teaches her The Body Language Guessing Game. She had no idea a smile could change her life! 

What people are saying:

"Revony Rhinoceros Starts to Smile is a great resource for helping children learn foundational social skills. Like what they’ve done with Revony’s predecessor, Jovi Giraffe Learns to Look, the authors have expertly translated what the latest science says about how to teach social skills into a meaningful, approachable story. They’ve done so with brightly colored illustrations which clearly highlight facial expressions, eye contact, and other critical social skills that are taught through interactions between playful characters. I’ll be keeping Revony on my office shelf so I can refer parents to this very approachable and natural teaching tool." -Raphael Bernier, PhD, Professor, University of Washington Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Executive Director, Seattle Children's Autism Center

"I LOVE your first book AND your second book! I want to see more, more and more! I have already tried Jovi Giraffe Learns to Look with my students. They love the animal characters and the wonderful facial expressions. The lesson on body language in Revony Rhinoceros Starts to Smile is wonderful. The page clarifying friendly and unfriendly behavior is perfect for any age. The books are a gift to all of us. Thank you for your creativity and wisdom!" -Donna Dagenais, MA, CCC-SLP, Founder of the Mid Peninsula Speech and Language Clinic in Palo Alto, CA

About the Authors:

Patricia Bardina, Ph.D., grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. She studied psychology at Pomona College and then moved to Seattle, where she received a master's in educational psychology and master's and doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Washington.

Joanne Burgess, B.A., grew up in Duluth, MN. She studied geography and urban studies at the University of Minnesota and then moved to Seattle and studied education at City University in Bellevue, Washington.

Prior to graduate school, they worked together teaching social skills to children on the autism spectrum and with other psychological disorders at Seattle Children's Hospital.

Following graduate school, Patricia continued to teach social skills to children with anxiety, attention-deficit disorders (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorders. Joanne worked as a preschool teacher and continued to teach social skills to children on the autism spectrum and with other psychological disorders as well as teaching typical kids.

The authors are currently working on the third book in the Ducky Friends series, Badi Blesbok Says Hello, which teaches the importance of greetings and different ways of saying hello.

About the Illustrator:

Paul Sharp was born and raised in Indiana. He graduated from the Art Institute in Pittburgh, Pennsylvania. Freelancing for twenty years, he worked as Art Director in Toys & Games for Random House and as Art Director for Children's Magazines at Curtis Publishing. His characters appear in numerous children's books and magazines, as well as brand name packaging, commercials, party goods, apps, and animated interactive media.

To learn more, visit https://www.duckyfriends.com/ or connect on Facebook and Instagram.