Mr. McCloskey's Marvelous Mallards
The Making of Make Way for Ducklings
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
This behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the classic and beloved picture book Make Way for Ducklings will captivate young artists, writers, readers, and animal lovers alike.
While writing and illustrating the beloved picture book Make Way for Ducklings, Robert McCloskey brings a flock of ducklings into his tiny New York City apartment. But an artist + a bunch of ducklings in his apartment = chaos! There are ducklings in the bathtub and ducklings in the kitchen, quacking at dawn and sitting on his desk. Can he learn to draw them just right before they grow too big?
This glimpse into the creation of a much-loved story for kids is a must-read for fans of children’s books, or for anyone who is interested in the creative process and the importance of persistence.
“Emma Smith has done a bang-up job imagining how my father wrote Make Way for Ducklings. I enjoyed reading her book.” —Jane McCloskey, daughter of Robert McCloskey and author ofRobert McCloskey: A Private Life in Words and Pictures
“A wonderfully rollicking rendition of the story behind the story.” —Gary D. Schmidt, Newbery Honor-winning author of books for children and author of Robert McCloskey
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bland Smith focuses squarely on a single, knotty problem that Robert McCloskey (1914–2003) encountered while working on his now-iconic Make Way for Ducklings. The artist knows he has a good story to tell—"a pair of mallard ducks, looking for a safe place to raise their ducklings in a busy city. Bingo!"—but his preliminary sketches fall flat, and his editor concurs. Smith underscores the demands McCloskey puts on himself: "I can do better," he thinks. "I have to do better!" In textural, place-oriented gouache and colored pencil spreads, Stadtlander shows McCloskey training home with a box of live ducklings and a sheepish expression on his face, fielding skeptical looks from other passengers. He soon discovers that the ducks make difficult roommates, but his work pays off, a success that crowns this step-by-step portrait of an artist working through to a solution. Ample back matter concludes. Ages 7–10.
