“I
lived with them in my studio in New York. And of course if I were doing that
book today or even ten years, fifteen years later, 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 Children’s Book World’s most well-known books,
Make Way for Ducklings.
Born on this date in 1914, McCloskey wrote and illustrated many children’s books that remain classics. Make
Way was one of two to win the prestigious Caldecott Medal (in
1942), awarded in recognition of the year’s best-illustrated picture
book. McCloskey also won for Time of Wonder, and 3 other of his
books, including the wonderful Blueberries
for Sal, were finalists.
He was the first writer/artist to win more than once.
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.
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. 
Since 2003, when
McCloskey died, Make Way for Ducklings has been the official children's
book of Massachusetts.
“I get a lot of letters,” McCloskey
once noted. “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.”
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