Boatyard Ducklings
Heather AustinBooks.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
With pencil illustrations and a storyline about the protection of ducklings, Boatyard Ducklings is bound to call to mind Robert McCloskey's classic Make Way for Ducklings. Far from being imitative, however, this tale of a little girl's love and care for young creatures has a magic all its own. Here author and illustrator Heather Austin memorably tells and beautifully pictures a true story about the young daughter of a Maine boatyard owner. When the girl discovers a mallard hen's nest in a dinghy, she is filled with delight. The girl befriends the duck and, when the young ones hatch, she becomes their protector.
Synopsis
With pencil illustrations and a storyline about the protection of ducklings, Boatyard Ducklings is bound to call to mind Robert McCloskey's classic Make Way for Ducklings. Far from being imitative, however, this tale of a little girl's love and care for young creatures has a magic all its own. Here author and illustrator Heather Austin memorably tells and beautifully pictures a true story about the young daughter of a Maine boatyard owner. When the girl discovers a mallard hen's nest in a dinghy, she is filled with delight. The girl befriends the duck and, when the young ones hatch, she becomes their protector.
School Library Journal
Gr 1-3
Every year, Hillary and Suzanne become "summertime friends" and explore the wonders of Castine, ME. This particular summer is marked by the decision of a pair of mallards to nest in the Johnsons' rowboat. Austin's quiet, realistic pencil drawings accompany her account of ducks and girls enjoying a Maine summer: "With seven ducklings to care about, the month of August was a lot of fun. Hillary and Suzanne watched them closely and could even tell them apart from the way they behaved." Summers in Maine are magic, as Robert McCloskey's books illustrate more than 50 years after their first publication, but this one remains a dry, static tale for all its proximity to the coast. Those not lucky enough to be in Maine in June, July, or August may want to reread One Morning in Maine (1952) or Time of Wonder (1957) and savor the specialness. And for those who long for mallards, revisit McCloskey's Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their eight offspring in Make Way for Ducklings (1941, all Viking).-Kathleen Whalin, York Public Library, ME
Editorials
School Library Journal
Gr 1-3
Every year, Hillary and Suzanne become "summertime friends" and explore the wonders of Castine, ME. This particular summer is marked by the decision of a pair of mallards to nest in the Johnsons' rowboat. Austin's quiet, realistic pencil drawings accompany her account of ducks and girls enjoying a Maine summer: "With seven ducklings to care about, the month of August was a lot of fun. Hillary and Suzanne watched them closely and could even tell them apart from the way they behaved." Summers in Maine are magic, as Robert McCloskey's books illustrate more than 50 years after their first publication, but this one remains a dry, static tale for all its proximity to the coast. Those not lucky enough to be in Maine in June, July, or August may want to reread One Morning in Maine (1952) or Time of Wonder (1957) and savor the specialness. And for those who long for mallards, revisit McCloskey's Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their eight offspring in Make Way for Ducklings (1941, all Viking).-Kathleen Whalin, York Public Library, ME