MAKE WAY: THE STORY OF ROBERT McCLOSKEY, NANCY SCHON, AND SOME VERY FAMOUS DUCKLINGS

MAKE WAY: THE STORY OF ROBERT McCLOSKEY, NANCY SCHON, AND SOME VERY FAMOUS DUCKLINGS by Angela Burke Kunkel. Illustrated by Claire Keane.

I was so excited to find this picture book! There's nothing quite so satisfying as loving a book for years and then one day being granted the wish of knowing just a bit more about the story! Most of you are familiar with Robert McCloskey's Make Way for Ducklings, but recently Angela Burke Kunkel wrote Make Way: The Story of Robert McCloskey, Nancy Schon, and Some Very Famous Ducklings. It is priceless! (I think I heard several of you gasp and the keys start clacking as you pull up Amazon!)

In the book initially we follow two threads, the life of McCloskey and how Make Way for Ducklings came to be in existence today, and the life of Nancy Schon who sculpted the famous bronze ducks that reside in the Boston Public Garden. Both encountered road blocks in their journeys that took time to overcome. Eventually the two threads come together and the result is an endearing line of Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack following their mother to their island home that more than 3 million people visit and play around every year. Reading stories like this is so important, because it helps us realize that an author or artist didn't just make a decision, and the project was done. It took time and dedication to see these treasures through!

Make Way (the back story) is illustrated by Claire Keane. It is printed in color, but very muted colors. She uses a lot of browns and bronzes as what I would guess is a tribute to the original work. It is well done! The book is brimming with action as two people work steadily to see their dreams become reality!

Just a side note! I did a little extra reading on McCloskey and he originally hoped to illustrate Make Way for Ducklings in watercolor. Massee declined due to the high cost, so it was printed in the sepia color we all love today. To accomplish this he had to draw every print backward in zinc lithographic plates. Can you imagine? https://www.mfa.org/news/make-way-for-ducklings

HEADS UP- 1 minor item to note. There is a lot of great info in the Author's Notes. Two thirds of the way down the page, however, it shows the ducks dressed up in rainbow colors for PRIDE. In the text it shares how they are dressed for holidays and "political statements" including BLM, PRIDE, Border protest, etc. You can include or skip this area as you see fit.

ALONGSIDE ACTIVITIES- Lots of extras you can do on this! Note on a map the different places mentioned in the book. If you are able to go and see the ducklings at Boston Public Garden it is a delightful place. (Along with many other things in Boston!) Find a place locally where you can observe ducks. Parks are a good place and here in Ohio we have a wonderful, historical ice cream parlor Velvet Ice Cream that has ducks you can watch and feed. Ducks have such wonderful personalities! We typically keep a few around on our acreage, because I just love watching and hearing them!