Make Way for DucklingsMake Way for Ducklings won the 1942 Caldecott Medal for McCloskey’s illustrations. Praise for the book is still high over 75 years since its first publication, mainly for the enhancing illustrations and effective pacing. - From Wikipedia Here is the full text of the book: Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey Mr. and Mrs. Mallard were looking for a
place to live but every time Mr. Mallard
saw what looked like a nice place
Mrs. Mallard said it was no good there
was sure to be foxes in the woods or
turtles in the water and she was not
going to raise a family where there
might be foxes or turtles so they flew
on and on when they got to Boston they
felt too tired to fly any further there
was a nice pond in the public garden
with a little island on it the very
place to spend the night
quacked Mr. Mallard so down they flapped
the next morning they fished further
breakfast in the mud at the bottom of
the pond but they didn’t find lunch just
as they were getting ready to start on
their way a strange enormous bird came
by it was pushing a boat full of people
and there was a man sitting on his back
good morning quacked Mr. Mallard being
polite the big bird was too proud to
answer but the people on the boat threw
peanuts into the water so the Mallard
followed them all round the pond and got
another breakfast better than the first
I like this place and Mrs. Mallard as
they climbed out on the bank and waddled
along why don’t we build a nest and
raise our ducklings right in this pond
there are no foxes and no turtles and
the people feed us peanuts what could be
better
good said Mr. Mallard delighted that at
last Mrs. Mallard had found a place that
suited her but look out squawks Mrs.
Mallard all of a dither you’ll get run
over and when she got her breath she
added this is no place for babies with
all those horrid things rushing about
we’ll have to look somewhere else so
they flew over Beacon Hill and round the
Statehouse but there was no place there
they looked in Louisburg squared but
there was no water to swim in when they
flew over the Charles River this is
better quacked Mr. Mallard that island
looks like a nice quiet place and it’s
only a little way from the public garden
yes said Mrs. Mallard remembering the
peanuts that looks like just the right
place to hatch ducklings so they choose
a cozy spot among the bushes near the
water and settle down to build their
nest and only just in time for now they
were beginning to mould all their old
wing feathers started to drop out and
they would not be able to fly again
until the new ones grew in but of course
they could swim and one day they swam
over to the park on the riverbank and
their Mae met a policeman called Michael
Michael pheasant peanut and after that
the mallards called on Michael every day
after Mrs. Mallard had laid eight eggs
in the nest she couldn’t go to visit
Michael anymore because she had to sit
all the eggs to keep them warm she moved
off the nest only to get a drink of
water or to have her lunch
or to count the eggs to make sure they
were all there
one day the ducklings hatched out first
came jack then kack and then lack and
then mack and nack and whack and tack
and quack Mr. Mrs. Mallard for bursting
with pride it was a great responsibility
taking care of sell many ducklings and
it kept them very busy one day Mr.
Mallard decided he liked to take a trip
to see what the rest of the river was
like further on so off you said I’ll
meet you in a week in the public garden
he cracked over his shoulder take good
care of the ducklings
don’t you worry said Mrs. Mallard I know
all about bringing up children and she
did she taught them how to swim and dive
she taught them to walk in a line to
come when they were called and to keep a
safe distance for bikes and scooters and
other things with wheels when at last
she felt perfectly satisfied with them
she said one morning come along children
follow me before you could wink an
eyelash Jack Kat Blaque max neck last
pact and quacks fell into a line just as
they had been taught
Mrs. MELAS led the way into the water
and they swam behind them to the
opposite bank
there they waded ashore and fondled
along till they came to the highway Mrs.
Mullin stepped out to cross the road
Hong Kong went the horns on the speeding
cars quack
where’d Mrs. Mallard as she tumbled back
again quack quack quack quack went Jack
Black’s Max
knacks quack pack and quack just as loud
as their little crackers could quack the
cars kept speeding by and honking and
Mrs. Mallard and the ducklings kept
right on quack quack quacking they made
such a noise that Michael came running
waving his arms and blowing his whistle
he planted himself in the centre of the
road raised one hand to stop the traffic
and then beckoned with the other the way
please him too for Mrs. Mallard to cross
over as soon as Mrs. Mallard and the
ducklings were safe on the other side
and on the rebound Mount Vernon Street
Michael rushed back to his police booth
he called Clancy at headquarters and
said there’s a family of ducks walking
down the street Clancy said family of
what duck yelled Michael send a police
car quick meanwhile Mrs. Mallard had
reached the corner bookshop and turned
into Charles Street with Jack Jack Black
Max NAT wax pack and Clark all marching
in a line behind her
everyone’s scared an old lady’s in
Beacon Hill said isn’t it amazing and an
and who swept the street said well now
ain’t that nice and when Mrs. mallet
heard them she was so proud she tipped
her nose in the air and walked along
with an extra swing in her water when
they came to the corner of Beacon Street
there was the police car with four
policemen that Clancy print
headquarters the policeman held back the
traffic so Mrs. Mallard and the
ducklings could march across the street
right into the public garden inside the
gate they all turn around to say thank
you to the policeman the policeman
smiled and waved goodbye when they reach
the pond and swam across to the little
island there was Mr. Mallard waiting for
them just as he had promised the
ducklings liked the new Island so much
that they decided to live there all day
long they follow the swan boats and eat
peanuts and when night falls they swim
to their little island and go to school
(Needs revision) Book information:
Reading age: 3+
Word count: 1149
Number of pages: 72
Year: 1941
Links: Amazon, Wikipedia, YouTube, Goodreads, LibraryThing, Common Sense Media, Printables, Lexile
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