Ducky

If you were a man like David Wisniewski and you had just created the emotionally and physically exhausting Caldecott winning "Golem", (a book which deals with religious persecution and the very essence of what it means to be alive), it would be more than understandable if you wanted to follow that book up with one about a small yellow bathtub toy. Which is, of course, precisely what he did. While "Golem" was a vast creative epic that utilized his particularly original cut-paper technique to its best advantage, "Ducky" is a small clever story written by fellow Caldecott winner Eve Bunting and set through the eyes of a plastic toy on the high seas. It has emotional impact, beautiful illustrations, and a true story behind its tale. Altogether it makes for a delicious picture book. On the title page we see large wooden create being lowered onto what can only be the deck of an ocean liner. Turn the page and the ship is silhouetted against a sky, followed closely by an impending storm. Our story begins. As the duck himself says right off the bat, "I am a yellow plastic duck and I am in great danger". With the horrible storm, the crate containing Ducky and his hundred some fellow toys is released into the violent sea. The crate breaks apart and suddenly the water is filled with yellow ducks, blue turtles, green frogs, and what looks to be red beavers. The duck experiences great fear, particularly when a passing shark (rendered in its pupil-less-many-toothed glory) attempts to devour a load of toys. The duck notes that the shark does not seem too much care for getting plastic caught in its teeth, "though we are guaranteed non-toxic". Days pass and all the toys separate in the waves. Our lone hero bobs alone, night and day, past icebergs, fish, and pelicans, until washing safely ashore. A boy locates the duck with glee (it seems many residents of this Alaskan town along the coast have been finding and recording the lost bathtub paraphernalia). At long last the duck returns with the boy to his home and is placed in a bubbly frothy bath, thereby, "fulfilling my destiny". An author's note at the end records the 29,000 plastic toy animals that were washed off a ship in 1992 and how their arrival on the shores of North America aided scientists who wished to learn more about currents, winds and tides. But even if this were some inspired flight of fancy on the part of the writer, it would still make for a fabulous tale. Ducky has an odd wry way of speaking. He notes his predicament with great emotion and intensity. Feelings that kids reading this book will readily appreciate and understand. From the scary notion of being lost to the final arrival in a safe place, there's a lot to identify with in this book. Wisniewski really brings this story fully to life, though. His shark is a nasty frighteningly realistic critter o' the sea. But I was really taken with the beautiful shots in the book. There's an aerial point of view of Ducky fr

We checked this one out of the library so many times I finally had to buy a copy. Excellent cut-paper illustrations, a great story, humorous text -- this is one book you won't mind reading over and over to the kiddos.

I really love this book. The illustrations are bright and fun. The story is very charming and my 5 yr. old found the true story behind it very fascinating. I highly recommend it for 2 to 5 year olds.