Margaret Wild (text) and Vivienne To (illustrator), Duckling Runs Away, Allen & Unwin, February 2023, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781761065804
Duckling Runs Away is a fun story about a baby duckling who is adamant on leaving home after squabbling with her mother. Throughout her travels, she meets an array of different animals who invites her to join their games. From little chicks playing hop to bunnies playing skip rope, Duckling marches on past because she is running away. But when night comes, Duckling begins to forget why she left home, and longs to be with her mum again.
Throughout the story, Margaret Wild uses simple words and repetition to create a catchy rhythm for young readers. On each page, Wild introduces a new farm animal and fun new vocabulary to describe the unconditional love between a mother and child. With lambs nuzzling their mum to piglets squashing against their mother, young readers will be entertained by the variety of characters brought to life by the text and illustrations.
One of my favourite features about the picture book are Vivienne To’s drawings and creativity in visualising each word. She uses contrasting colour pallets of warm vibrant colours and cooler darker shades to mirror day and night respectively. The character’s emotions, specifically duckling’s emotions are captured well with the various tones and soft textures.
From the duo who created The Sloth Who Came to Stay, here is another amusing to add to the bookshelf. This illustrated book will appeal to both parents/caregivers and their children. The story provides a strong message to readers about children’s desire for independence and their need for personal space to discover their own identities. I would highly recommend this picture book as an important message is revealed – unconditional love can resolve any squabble.
Reviewed by Anna Tran
