Making way for a children's book classic

 

“I lived with them in my studio in New York. And of course if I were doing that book today . . .  I would have gone to where the wild ducks were and where I could study them - I would have gone to the country somewhere.” – Robert McCloskey

The “they” McCloskey refers to are several mallard ducks he purchased and took home in order to study their movements, sounds and actions.  The result was one of the world's most well-known children's books, Make Way for Ducklings.

McCloskey, born on this date in 1914, wrote and illustrated many children’s books that remain as classics.  Make Way was one of two to win the prestigious Caldecott Medal awarded in recognition of best-illustrated picture book.   McCloskey also won for Time of Wonder becoming the first writer/artist to win more than once.   Three of his other books, including the wonderful Blueberries for Sal, were finalists. 

Make Way features a mallard pair that nests on an island in Boston’s Charles River.   After raising 8 ducklings, the mother leads them to the Public Garden in downtown Boston.  Famously, a friendly policeman stops traffic for them to cross a busy street. The beloved story has become a Boston institution and "official" childen's book of Massachusetts.

In 1987, renowned sculptor Nancy Schön created a bronze version of Mrs. Mallard and the ducklings, installing them near a downtown Boston park where thousands of children climb them and many more people photograph them annually.  The park is also the site of an annual Make Way for Ducklings Mother's Day parade, featuring hundreds of children dressed in the costumes of their favorite characters.                             

McCloskey, who died in 2003, said “I get a lot of letters, not only from children but from adults, too. Almost every week, every month, clippings come in from some part of the world where ducks are crossing the street.”