Make Way for Ducklings
" Make Way for Ducklings " is a book written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey picture book for children, published in the United States in 1941. The book tells the story of a mallard couple who decides his family in a pond of Boston Public Garden - a park in the heart of Boston in Massachusetts - raise.
" Make Way for Ducklings " in 1942 because of the illustrations with the Caldecott Medal - a price the American Librarian Association for Children's books - excellent. These illustrations by Robert McCloskey were drawn in charcoal and then lithographed on zinc plates. By 2003, more than two million copies were sold. Due to the popularity of the book the statue of a mother duck was built with its eight chicks in the Boston Public Garden, which is an attraction within the park. A comparable and also based on the plot of the book installation can also be found in Moscow's Novodevichy Park. The book was also appointed as the official children's book of Massachusetts.
Since the first edition, is the book in English-speaking countries continuously in print and has also been published in paperback and audio book. In German it was established in 1948 as a free family -knacks and 1967 as a street, published come the ducks.
Background
McCloskey was born in Ohio but visited from 1932, the Vesper George Art School in Boston. After his attempts failed to establish himself as an artist in New York City, he published in 1940 his first work, " Lentil ". The following 1941 " Make Way for Ducklings " was McCloskey's second release.
In his acceptance speech at ceremony of the Caldecott Medal McCloskey explained that he had developed his first ideas for the book, as if he had spent much time in the Boston Public Garden with the feeding of ducks. Inspired by May Massee, the first head of the children's book department of the U.S. publisher Viking Press, he made years later, first in a mural and then a first draft of the book. In order to illustrate the story better, McCloskey spent some time at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, asked a ornithologist and finally returned with six ducklings who lived as models in his studio.
Action
The story begins with the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Mallard ( English for " Mallard " ) looking for a location where they can start their family and draw on a number of different places in inspection. Whenever this Mr. Mallard discovers a seemingly appropriate place, Mrs. Mallard has in mind any complaints. Tired of their search, the mallards finally stay on the big pond in the Public Gardens. In the morning a pedalo happens in the form of a swan, which they hold for a real bird. From the boat across the peanuts thrown Mallards bring a second breakfast, so that Mrs. Mallard is proposing to build their nest within the Public Garden. However, they will - as soon as she spoke the proposal - almost run over by a cyclist. The Mallards then put their search in the city of Boston and continued to investigate this well-known attractions such as the Beacon Hill, the. Massachusetts State House and the Louisburg Square on their suitability Finally, they opt for an island in the Charles River. From the island they swim every day to the opposite shore, where a policeman named Michael feeds them daily.
Shortly thereafter begins for the Mallards, the Mauser, which prevents them briefly on the fly. During this time, Mrs. Mallard broods of eight chicks who baptized the couple Mallard Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack and Quack. Once they are hatched, Mr. Mallard decides to take a trip upstream to find out what is there. The Mallards agree to be a week later in the Public Garden reunite. In the meantime, Mrs. Mallard teaches her chicks all need to know about the ducks life.
A week later she leads her chicks to the shore and from there directly to the highway. This they must cross to enter the Public Garden. However, the vehicles do not stop, so that the police officer Michael stops the traffic for them. He also made sure that along the route of Mrs. Mallard traffic for the ducks is regulated provides. The ducks first cross the highway, then the Embankment Road, walk along the Mount Vernon to Charles Street and there finally south towards the park. When crossing Beacon Street - which leads to the park entrance - keep four police officers on the traffic on the intersection, in order to pass the ducks safely. In the Public Garden, Mr. Mallard waiting for the rest of his family, which henceforth remains in this and continues to live there happily ever after.
Reactions
The book has been praised mostly in the sixty years since its first publication. If published in 1941 Ellen Bell of the New York Times described it as "one of the merriest we have had in a long time" ( in German: " one of the liveliest [Books ] we had for a long time " ) and praised both the downright comedic aspect of the procession on Beacon Street and the "fine large pictures" ( in German: " excellent, great illustrations "), which at the same time focus on the essentials and still be drawn detailed.
Action counterproductive Illustration
Critics of the last time keep the illustrations for disadvantageous because it would weaken the plotline of the book. The "loosely constructed " story also would offer no plausible explanations for any reason Mr. Mallard Island in the Charles River or leave the Mallards not just stayed away from the cyclists in the Public Garden. McCloskey himself responded to this criticism by pointing out primarily to be an artist who just write children's books and not vice versa. Critics also maintain the personality of the parents characterized as inadequate. They correspond to the stereotypical image of concerned parents and were often the same, little meaningful facial expressions.
Partly critics assume that children especially, therefore, like this book because the drawings, the monuments of the city of Boston showed from the perspective of a duck and each chick possesses its own personality. Robert McCloskey drew the individual chicks as they get bored, ask questions, are sleepy, scratching or whisper behind the backs of their brothers and sisters of each other. Children would be able to identify because of their own behavior with the chicks. The two parents would be against it presented as caring protector and teacher.
Use of page breaks
Other critics raise McCloskey's use of page breaks forth, with which he steer the reading speed: the pages that would be only one set, force the reader to quickly turn the page and so to create a sense of movement. This would apply especially during the search for a suitable nesting site and the phase in which Mrs. Mallard chicks teaches the essential skills. McCloskey used the page break also moments of surprise. So believe the Mallards on page eleven to have an appropriate location:
"Good," said Mr. Mallard, delighted that Mrs. Mallard had finally found a place she liked. But - "
The Mallards are then confronted on page 13 with a cyclist, the female mallard almost runs over.
' Look out! ' squawked Mrs. Mallard, all of a dither. ' You'll get run over! ' " ( P. 13)
" Look out! " Shrieked Mrs. Mallard, trembling all over, "You will run over! "
The broken sentence structure enforces a quick page exchange, the - According to critics - the surprise on the following page increases.
Gender roles
Make Way for Ducklings was published in the 1940s. At this time, the women's movement had not yet drawn attention to the unequal representation of gender roles in children's books. Critics point out that children's books this time often portrayed a male-dominated society. This trend does not follow Make Way for Ducklings, however. Unlike other books of this period - such as What Girls Can Be, which stereotypisiere women as submissive, limited and weak - presenting McCloskey Mrs. Mallard as an independent, and not submissive, female personality. So Mrs. Mallard must make use of their children solely on the basis of the trip her husband. McCloskey show them as a capable woman who is not dependent on the support of a male person. This style was the occasion to describe the book as "pre- feminist " for individual critics.
Cultural impact
The city of Boston - the Handlungsort of the book - has made his own successful children's book largely: The Boston Public Garden, where the Mallards finally settled, a bronze statue of the female mallard was posted on October 4, 1987 built with her eight chicks. While the largest of the figures is only one meter high, the embedded in the cobblestones train of ducklings drags eleven meters. The statue is a tribute to the children's story of McCloskey "whose story [ ... ] Has Made the Boston Public Garden familiar to children Throughout the world. " ( German: " whose history has brought near the Boston Public Garden children around the world ").
Since 1978, the town every spring a " Duckling Day Parade " - a parade on the day of the plug - held in which children dress up as ducklings and their parents go off the path of Mrs. Mallard.
1955 Weston Woods recorded on the basis of the book an animated film.
In 2000, students from Canton, Massachusetts suggested before, " Make Way for Ducklings " the official children's book of the U.S. state of Massachusetts to appoint. Your concern was initially blocked by representatives from Springfield, who wanted to see the work of the Spring fielder Dr. Seuss at this point. A compromise solved the problem by Dr. Seuss was declared the official children's book author and " Make Way for Ducklings " the official children's book.
A statue of the Boston Public Garden similar installation was erected on 30 July 1991 in Moscow's Novodevichy Park as part of the celebrations of the START Treaty. The 12 meter long statue was presented by the reigning American First Lady Barbara Bush as a gift to the children of the Soviet Union of the Soviet president's wife Raisa Gorbachev. Four of the chicks were stolen, however, the passage of time - the first disappeared in 1991 and three more in February 2000 The thieves cut the statues from the legs, presumably in the hope of being able to sell them as scrap metal.. The ducks were replaced in September 2000 during a reclassification ceremony in the presence of former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.