Make Way for Ducklings
Mr. and Mrs. Mallard were a pair of ducks looking for a place to settle down.
Every time Mr. Mallard found a spot, his wife would be dissatisfied. It was either because there were foxes nearby, or there were turtles. So, they kept flying until they finally reached Boston.
There was a park in Boston with a beautiful pond, and in the middle of the pond, there was a small island.
“This place is nice for spending the night,” said Mrs. Mallard. So, they flew down.
The next morning, they had breakfast in the pond, but there wasn’t much food. Just as they were about to fly away to find a new place, a large swan boat full of tourists sailed by. Some people saw the duck couple and threw peanuts for them to eat. The ducks followed the boat, eating peanuts all the way. This breakfast was much more plentiful than the one earlier.
“I like this place,” said Mrs. Mallard as she waddled up onto the shore. “Why don’t we make our home here? There are no foxes or turtles, and there are peanuts to eat.”
“Wonderful!” said Mr. Mallard, delighted that his wife had finally found a place she liked. But — oh no! Why were there so many wheeled things on the shore? How could they raise ducklings here?
But it didn’t matter, because they found a great spot near the Charles River, not far from the park. They built a cozy nest in the bushes near the water, getting ready for Mrs. Mallard to lay her eggs. Just at that time, they began molting. Their old feathers on their wings gradually fell out, and it would take some time for new feathers to grow in before they could fly again.
Of course, they could still swim. One day, they swam back to the park. On the riverbank, they met a policeman named Michael, who fed them peanuts. From that day on, the Mallard couple visited Michael every day.
After Mrs. Mallard laid eight eggs, she could no longer visit Michael because she had to keep the eggs warm. She only left the eggs briefly to drink water and count them.
Finally, eight adorable ducklings hatched. The Mallards were incredibly proud. Raising eight ducklings was a big responsibility, and every day they were busy from morning until night.
One day, Mr. Mallard decided to check out the river downstream. Before he left, he quacked, “Take care of the children. I’ll meet you on the little island in a week.”
“Don’t worry, I know how to take care of the kids.”
Mrs. Mallard taught the ducklings to swim, dive, and how to walk in a row. She also taught them to avoid bicycles, motorcycles, and anything with wheels.
The ducklings learned quickly, and Mrs. Mallard was very pleased. One morning, she said, “Come along, children, follow me.” As soon as she spoke, the ducklings lined up neatly. Mrs. Mallard led the ducklings into the water and swam across to the other side.
They waddled up onto the shore and headed towards the road. Mrs. Mallard took her first steps onto the street. “Beep beep, beep beep—” car horns blared. “Quack, quack!” Mrs. Mallard wasn’t fazed. “Quack, quack, quack!” The ducklings quacked along with her.
The cars kept honking “Beep beep, beep beep,” and the ducks kept quacking “Quack, quack.” It was quite a commotion!
Michael, the policeman, rushed over and, with a perfect traffic cop gesture, stopped the cars and signaled for the duck family to cross the road first. After the ducks safely reached the other side, Michael hurried to his post and called headquarters: “Headquarters, headquarters, there’s a family of ducks crossing the road.”
“A family of what?”
“Ducks!” Michael shouted. “Quick, send a police car!” As he spoke, the ducks had already passed the corner bookstore and were heading down Charles Street. “Quack, quack!” The ducklings followed closely behind their mother in a neat line.
Everyone watched in amazement. “Incredible!” “Amazing!” Hearing these compliments, Mrs. Mallard proudly lifted her head high and even flapped her wings gracefully a few times.
When they reached Beacon Street, the police car from headquarters and four officers were waiting for them. The policemen stopped the heavy traffic and escorted the duck family safely to the park. Once inside the park gates, the ducks turned and waved goodbye to the police.
Mr. Mallard was waiting for them on the little island in the middle of the pond! The family loved the place so much that they decided to make it their permanent home.
Love is an emotion that can extend infinitely. It’s not just confined to relationships like family, friendship, or romantic love; it should also encompass a respect and compassion for all living things in the world.
This is a storybook about the harmonious coexistence of humans and animals, which won the Caldecott Medal in 1942. The author spent a long time observing the lives of ducks for the creation of this book, making his work feel trustworthy and authentic. It’s also worth noting that the illustrations in the book were selected from thousands of sketches the author made of ducks. From this, we can see the effort and dedication the author put into creating this picture book.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
