Author
Make Way for Ducklings
Robert McCloskey's 1941 picture book follows Mr. and Mrs. Mallard as they look for a safe home in the middle of Boston. After raising eight ducklings beside the Charles River, Mrs. Mallard leads the family through city streets toward the Public Garden lagoon, and a friendly police officer helps stop the traffic. The story is simple, but the sepia lithographs and the real Boston landmarks gave it lasting appeal. It won the 1942 Caldecott Medal and became a touchstone among books for kids who are learning to read, or being read to, about animals, families and neighbourhoods. It is also the official children's book of Massachusetts, and a bronze sculpture of the duck family now stands in the Public Garden.