Lucky Ducklings by Eva Moore (review)

Mama Duck and her little ducklings are headed off for a walk when an accident happens: as the ducklings follow their mother onto a paved street, one by one they fall through the openings in a storm drain grate. A witness calls the fire department, and Fireman Paul heads down into the drain and rescues each duckling. Fireman Joe is about to carry the babies off in a bucket, but Mama Duck makes such a fuss that Fireman Dennis stops traffic in order to allow Mama Duck to lead her ducklings across the road herself, and a happy ending finds Mama and babies safely back in their own pond in the park. Based on a real event that happened in Montauk, New York in 2000, Moore’s story is simply but dramatically told, and repetition of a few key phrases (“That could have been the end of the story. But it wasn’t, because . . .”) will help young listeners focus on the pivotal plot points. The satisfying storyline of a mother and babies separated and reunited is one to which many young children will easily relate, and the ducks themselves have enormous visual appeal. Carpenter’s illustrations, rendered in charcoal and digital media with a warm, earth-toned palette, are large and impressive in their artistry; the masterful compositions feature creative perspectives, peering up through the grate with the ducklings or looking down on their doomed trip across the grate. This makes a natural partner for Tafuri’s Have You Seen My Duckling? as well as a fine lead-in to the lengthier text of McCloskey’s classic Make Way for Ducklings.