Archive | March 8, 2018

I’m a Duck

I'm a Duck

I’m a Duck

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m a Duck

Eve Bunting

Will Hillenbrand

Candlewick Press, 2018

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9780763680329

Imagine being a duck that is afraid of water!

But that’s the problem of this little one who rolled into the pond as an egg, and although quickly rescued by her mother, she has been left with a morbid fear of deep water.

Now I’m a duck who’s scared to go

in the pond or lake, and so

I cannot swim, and that is bad.

A landlocked duck is very sad.

Despite the encouragement of family and friends like Frog and Owl, Little Duck just can’t pluck up the courage to have a go.  She eventually has a go in a puddle, practising all day and night, but even though she’s well prepared, when it comes to the pond she’s really, really scared!  And then one day…

This is a gentle book, both in tone and palette, focusing on overcoming fear that will resonate with many young readers who will have have had to pull their big-kid pants on and have a go at something that has terrified them.  No matter how supportive those around you are, how much they offer to help you, as the little ducking observes, “I’d love to have you help me through it, but I’m the one who has to do it.”

It’s a story about moving at one’s own pace, practising and preparing, and doing things your own way that will offer comfort and support to those facing what seem to be insurmountable challenges and the joy of going from trepidation to triumph. No doubt little listeners will each have their own tale to tell as they reflect on similar situations and then give themselves a high-five for having mastered their fear.