The Wall Street Journal has a charming and insightful obituary of children's book writer/illustrator Robert McCloskey, who died Monday at age 88. I didn't recognize his name, but recognized immediately the title of one of his best-known books, Make Way For Ducklings.
Writer Amy Finnery praises the late McCloskey, who was honored in his lifetime with multiple honoral degrees for his contributions to literature, for avoiding the preachy, the sappy, the depressing, and the sociological in his approach to children's writing:
In the pages of these classic works, in the expressive, monochrome drawings, there is no Big Sociological Message, forced sunniness or sentimentality, but rather the gentle but sharply observed depiction of children's--or ducklings'--dilemmas, regional landscapes and midcentury American cities.
The ducks in "Make Way for Ducklings" must find a place to live, nothing more and nothing less. That place will be in Boston, where a stout policeman named Michael (what else but an Irishman?) will help the nesting family navigate traffic. The Charles River, Beacon Hill and Louisburg Square set the scene.
The ducks' behavior is endowed with transcendent nuance, delightful to human children who recognize their own mothers in Mrs. Mallard. The mother duck puts her bill in the air and "walks along with an extra swing in her waddle" when a passerby admires her offspring. McCloskey wrote that Mrs. Mallard tells Mr. Mallard: " 'don't you worry, I know all about bringing up children.' And she did."
I remember this book, although I don't think I ever owned it. When I look at children's books today, so many of them seem haphazardly-drawn, or overly-ideological, or just plain bad. Reading the reviews on the Amazon website makes me want to buy a copy of Make Way for Ducklings and read it all over again.
I love the description here of McCloskey's preparation for creating his memorable mallards:
So that he could draw the ducks exactly, he bought four squawking mallards and took them home to his apartment. "The ducks had plenty to say - especially in the early morning. I spent the next weeks on my hands and knees, armed with a box of Kleenex and a sketchbook, following the ducks around the studio and observing them in the bathtub." Make Way For Ducklings was awarded the Caldecott Medal, given annually for the most distinguished American picture book for children, and has sold more than 2 million copies in hardcover and paperback.
And next time I go to Boston, I will be sure to go see the bronze statues of Ms. Mallard and her brood of ducklings. A similar (perhaps identical) set march in Novodevichy Park, Moscow; Former First Lady Barbara Bush gave them to Raisa Gorbachev as a gift to celebrate the signing of the START treaty.
The simple vision of one man from Hamilton, Ohio, immortalized forever in a park in Moscow as a sign of international goodwill between two world superpowers. Imagine that.
Another touching little tribute can be found here, by Redheaded Rambler Sheila.
Posted by kswygert at July 2, 2003 04:48 PM