Friday, March 21, 2014

MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS....


“Look out!” squawked Mrs. Mallard, all of a dither.  “You’ll get run over!”

It was the first book I ever owned; I’m pretty certain that every child in my family received a copy of Robert McCloskey’s Make Way for Ducklings, first published in 1941. After all, we’re Boston born and/or bred...we’ve got tattered and torn copies in hardcover, softcover; we’ve got them in bookcases, attics and bedrooms.
It’s right up there with the family Bible.
No kidding.

Make Way for Ducklings is the story of a pair of ducks (Mr. and Mrs. Mallard, of course – who needs anything more sophisticated than that?) who search the Boston area for a proper place to raise a family. After an overnight rest in the Public Garden, where they encounter a one of the city’s famous swan boats (they think it’s a big bird) and have a close call with a kid on a bicycle, they set up housekeeping on an island in the Charles River.
After their ducklings are born, Mr. Mallard takes off to explore the area, leaving Mrs. at home with the children (don’t get me started on that!); they agree to meet up again in the Public Garden in one week. While the Mister has a grand time investigating other parts of the river, Mrs. Mallard is left to teach their children all they need to know about being ducks: how to swim, dive for food, walk in a line, etc.
One week later, Mrs. Mallard leads her ducklings off the island and across the highway (what is now Storrow Drive -- a major artery in/out of the city proper) on her way to the Public Garden to meet Mr. Mallard. A local policeman stops traffic for her; pedestrians admire her family as she struts down the sidewalks. There’s a squad car at Beacon Street; four policemen halt the traffic to ensure safe crossing there, and, finally, Mrs. Mallard and the ducklings are reunited with Mr. Mallard in the lagoon in the Boston Public Garden.
They live, of course, happily ever after.


In 1987, a bronze statue of Mrs. Mallard and her eight ducklings was installed in a walkway made of old Boston cobblestone. In 1989, my nephew visited; here he is, atop Mrs. Mallard, with Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouak, Pack and Quack trailing along behind!

33 comments:

  1. Loved your post! It's human nature to worry about things lesser than ourselves - in this case, ducks. Every year at my favorite lake there are mother ducks with new ducklings. One year a young duckling somehow got separated from its mother & siblings & swam up & down the beach pitifully peeping over & over. You should have seen all the people, then, worriedly walking around trying to find its mother - myself included. Finally the mother found it & they were reunited to sighs of relief, laughter, cheers, & applause all along the beach. We smile at something like that, I think, because it renews our faith in the simple goodness of being human.

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    1. I loved that story -- and loved the fact that you, too, had ducks in your post (although yours were asleep, as I recall). I've always loved mallards...they remind me of my Boston grandmother, and I loved her dearly.

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  2. I'm glad it's not "make way for opossums."

    I've been to the Public Garden -- just to see that line of statues. The BEST! You look at the statue and you know the story all over again.

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    1. So, did you ride on a swan boat? I spent lots of time there as a kid...feeding Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and all those ducklings! The statues ARE wonderful, aren't they?

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    2. Yes indeed I rode the Swan Boat. That was my FIRST tourist moment in Boston.

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  3. Well I must have had a deprived childhood because I have never heard of this story but now you have enlightened me. It sounds like just the kind of story I would have enjoyed reading as a child.

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    1. You've simply GOT to read this book -- absolutely the best picture book I've ever read; you will love it, truly!

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  4. Just the kind of imaginative book every child should be brought up on. A beautiful post.

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    1. In 1941, a book reviewer actually said that it showed a strong female figure (Mrs. Mallard) who could do things competently on her own...I guess she's a feminist!

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  5. I've never heard of the story but I love that your family has such a strong tradition based on it. And I love the little statues!

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    1. It's probably because we were all living in the area -- we knew the roads, the streets...we were very familiar with the Public Garden. And our parents loved the book!

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  6. Me again. I don't want to rain on your parade but here in Australia the Mallard is an introduced bird and regarded as a pest because it is interbreeding with one of our locals, the Black Duck. Shame really because it's a very pretty duck.

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    1. Sorry about the mallard's bad rep in Australia! But I understand completely -- we have a similar problem with people feeding Canada geese up here; now they flock on people's lawns!

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  7. I loved the story and the statues. I wonder how the statues have survived with all the children climbing on them, not to mention people who like to destroy things.

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    1. Apparently, the City of Boston doesn't have to do any "cleaning" maintenance on Mrs. Mallard -- she gets cleaned when the kids sit on her. One or two of the ducklings were stolen a number of years ago, and there was such outrage in Boston that it's never happened again!

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  9. In Stavanger it is an annual event for the police to escort ducklings to the lake in the centre of the town. There is a duck statue as well.

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  10. Oh, Bob -- you've made my day! And Boston has an annual parade, too -- with everybody (adults and children) dressed up like mallards/ducklings! It's pretty amazing...

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  11. You have Mr & Mrs Mallard, we have Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy, which every Kiwi kid grows up reading. The author lives just down the road, but I've never met her.

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    1. Hairy Maclary? Never heard of him...but I followed your link; clearly, another beloved character from children's books (and such a face, yes?). Thanks, Brett...he's great!

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  12. That’s a story I’ve never heard of, but I love the fact that they have been memorialised in this way.

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    1. It's probably a New England thing...but it's a fabulous kids' book, even 60 years later!

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  13. What a delightful post...I don't remember reading this story, but my grands probably have (grandchildren I mean), and I love the statues...great pic too!

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    1. Your grands might know the story! Anyway, it's probably at your local library...give it a try.

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  14. I remember this book being read on a kids show in the '50s. It was either Captain Kangaroo or Ding Dong School with Miss Francis. A wonderful book.

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    1. Goodness -- Captain Kangaroo? I remember him fondly; his pal Mr. Greenjeans, etc. Never liked Ding Dong School -- the name just made me laugh!

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  15. I was an avid reader as a child (and to my children) but never came across this bridge.
    Love the set of duck statues!

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    1. You'll love it, Sharon. An all-time favorite!

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  16. Those duck statues are great! I think my favourite duck tale predates yours by only a few years, called The story about Ping, by Marjory Flack, published in 1933.

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    1. I remember Ping, Jo! Maybe my love for Make Way for Ducklings comes from the fact that I actually spent time in the Boston Public Garden...it was all part of my reality!

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  17. I see that Make way for Ducklings is available in my local library - I will have to check it out :-)

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  18. I'm hopping over from A Sunday Drive and liked your post about the duck. What a lovely picture!

    I am a 4th Degree Black Belt and children's author. For the month of April I decided to review 26 picture books as part of the A to Z Challenge. If you get a chance, I would love for you to visit my blog...

    Take care,

    Donna L Martin
    www.donnalmartin.com

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